In 1864 Karl Marx speculated on the English stock market and made over £400.
Writing to Lion Philips in the summer of 1864, Marx revealed a remarkable detail of his prosperous new way of life after receiving a large inheritance:
I have, which will surprise you not a little, been speculating — partly in American funds, but more especially in English stocks, which are springing up like mushrooms this year (in furtherance of every imaginable and unimaginable joint stock enterprise), are forced up to quite an unreasonable level and then, for the most part, collapse. In this way, I have made over £400 and, now that the complexity of the political situation affords greater scope, I shall begin all over again. It’s a type of operation that makes small demands on one’s time, and it’s worth while running some risk in order to relieve the enemy of his money.
- from Francis Wheen's biography Karl Marx: A Life
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