If you'd invested in: Hostelworld and Lonmin

Shareholders in Hostelworld received a 10% special discount; those in Lonmin have lost their shirts.

Ben Judge
By
published
in Features

If only...

848-hostelworld

Dublin-based Hostelworld Group (LSE: HSW) provides an online platform for young travellers to book rooms in hostels and other budget accommodation around the world. Bookings slipped by 1% in 2016, revenue fell by 4% and earnings rose by just 1% but the group's growing cash pile still led to a special dividend of €0.105 per share. The share price has risen by over 100% in the last year.

Be glad you didn't

848-lonmin

South African platinum producer Lonmin (LSE: LMI), which was spun off from the colonial conglomerate Lonrho in 1998, has lurched from crisis to crisis in recent years. It has endured years of violent labour disputes that have hampered production, and is saddled with crippling debt. The company last reported a profit in 2013. Shareholders have seen the value of their investment all but wiped out since its peak in 2007, the price has fallen by 99.98%. And anyone brave enough to buy in the last year has lost almost 60%.

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Ben Judge
Ben Judge

Ben studied modern languages at London University's Queen Mary College. After dabbling unhappily in local government finance for a while, he went to work for The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh. The launch of the paper's website, scotsman.com, in the early years of the dotcom craze, saw Ben move online to manage the Business and Motors channels before becoming deputy editor with responsibility for all aspects of online production for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News websites, along with the papers' Edinburgh Festivals website.

Ben joined MoneyWeek as website editor in 2008, just as the Great Financial Crisis was brewing. He has written extensively for the website and magazine, with a particular emphasis on alternative finance and fintech, including blockchain and bitcoin. 

As an early adopter of bitcoin, Ben bought when the price was under $200, but went on to spend it all on foolish fripperies.

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