It happened literally overnight in the first few days of 1709. On January 5, temperatures plummeted—not, perhaps, a surprise in European winter. But 1709 was no ordinary cold snap. Dawn broke ...

The Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio, a key valuation measure, is calculated by dividing the stock's most recent closing price by the sum of the diluted earnings per share from continuing operations ...

Up to 1709, furnaces could only use charcoal to produce iron. However, wood (which is what charcoal is made from) was becoming more expensive, as forests were being cleared for farmland and timber.