Tokyo Stock Exchange is one of the major exchanges in Asia, and is the second largest stock exchange in the world by aggregate market capitalization of its listed companies. Members of the Tokyo Stock Exchange include Allied Telesis, Banc of America Securities, Barclays Capital, Bear Stearns, BNP Paribas, Century Securities, Credit Suisse First Boston, Daiwa Securities, Dresdner Kleinwort, and more.

Osaka Securities Exchange is the second biggest securities exchange in Japan, in terms of amount of business handled. The Exchange provides markets for equities, stock index futures, stock index options, security options contracts, listing and administration of listed products, administration of transaction participants, and more.

Bombay Stock Exchange in India is the oldest stock exchange in Asia. It was established as “The Native Share & Stock Brokers’ Association” in 1875. The equity market capitalization of the companies listed on the Exchange was US.78 trillion in August 2010, making it the fourth largest among the list of stock exchanges in Asia.

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEx) is one of the global largest exchange owners based on the market capitalization of its shares. It offers a wide variety of securities and derivatives such as shares, futures, options, Exchange Traded Funds, and other structured products.

Karachi Stock Exchange in Pakistan is the largest and oldest stock exchange in the country, located in Karachi, Sindh. On 26 December 2007, the KSE 100 Index reached its highest value ever and closed at 14,814.85 points. The Exchange employs the best available human resource and employees from the capital market and financial industry.

Please visit the relevant guide for more related information on top investment firms and best stock brokers list.

World markets have been reacting wildly to America’s economic woes and the New York Stock Exchange is no exception. The trading floor has been a frenetic hub of energy. Ted Weisberg is a floor broker and says he can’t imagine doing anything else. This is his story in his own words.

Asian Stock Exchanges is a post from: Stocks And Shares

In America we have three exchange, they are New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, and American Stock Exchange. American Stock Exchange is considered as the third largest exchange market for stock exchange and covers 10% of the trading companies in U.S.A. The American Stock exchange includes some industries which are indulged in various businesses. It manages to offer opportunity to many small groups of companies to deal with the stock market exchange. AMEX started off as a replacement to NYSE.

Once upon a time AMEX was a competitor to NYSE. Presently American Stock Exchange is selling small company’s stocks, and also exchanging traded money. Though this exchange is proscribed by National Association of Securities Dealers, they function as a separate stock market exchange to NASDAQ. So as to differentiate its functionality, American Stock Exchange has formulated a new form of assurance to the exchange list. It is American Depository Receipt, which allows depositors in U.S to trade in foreign exchanges. In AMEX trading with guarantee was established. In security options AMEX is the second largest exchange.

In a stock exchange, the most important function to provide sellers a location to sell off their company’s investment. Only after conducting an Introductory Public Offering, a firm’s stock holdings appear in the stock exchange for trading. During IPO, shares of the firm is initiated for trading, they have a transaction with public share holders. As the shares are floating in the exchange, these shares are purchased or sold in the exchange. Exchanges were first established as trading floors now it has been changed with the help of computers. Exchange follows transaction of each share. By calculating the demand, the price of the share is decided. Currently, exchanges are operated throughout the world. These exchanges keep in pace with other international exchanges, so that the price of a stock is updated immediately in the local market. Some individual who is aimed at buying and selling shares should proceed through a stock broker, who is a member of stock exchange.

A company obtains their accessibility to the exchange through shares, and stocks. Only by accomplishing the given standards they can trade in the exchange. American Stock exchange is one of the exchange which deals with depository receipts, exchange traded funds and also holders. Membership of American stock exchange is one year, which is similar to that of NYSE.

AMEX was established as a support to small companies who were not able to take part in NYSE. AMEX is also known as Curb Exchange. AMEX was started by the stock brokers whose shares were not satisfying the requirements and the Big Board’s agreement. Amex has standards with less specification when compared to NYSE. Currently AMEX has got its own trading partners and location. First this exchange was purchased by parent firm of NASDAQ, they both combined together but they were working separately. Later in 2008, AMEX was acquired by NYSE Euro next and then joined with Alter Next European Exchange. After merging, they were renamed as NYSE Alter Next US.

Dealing Shares in American Stock Exchange is a post from: Stocks And Shares

Nigeria Stock Exchange was founded in the year 1960 as the Lagos Stock Exchange with 19 securities listed for trading. Today there are 262 securities listed on The Exchange, made up of 11 Government Stocks, 49 Industrial Loan (Debenture/Preference) Stocks and 194 Equity / Ordinary Shares of Companies.
The Nigeria Stock Exchange took on its present name in 1977 as by then the Stock Market already had branches in the most important business centers of the nation. The six branches of The Nigeria Stock Exchange are :

Lagos opened in 1961;

Kaduna opened in 1978;

Port Harcourt opened in 1980;

Kano opened in 1989;

Onitsha opened in February 1990;

Ibadan opened in August 1990;

Abuja opened in October 1999;

Yola opened in April 2002.

Lagos however remained the headquarters of the Nigeria Stock Exchange.
The business of trading in Nigeria stock exchange Market is conducted during the weekdays from 11 o’ clock in the morning to 1 o’ clock in the afternoon local time. The goods, which are kept as security while trading are, corporate bonds, shares and government bonds. The trading of shares and bonds are done by the stock brokers in large halls by shouting out loud or by making phone calls which each branch having its own trading hall. The Nigeria Stock Exchange now uses an Automated Trading System which makes trading easier, faster and safer.

The Nigeria stock exchange was started with a small capital and in the year 1997 the capital went up to a total of about $ 3 billion. Nigeria Stock Exchange has been one of the most successful businesses in Nigeria.
The All-Share Index (AMI) is the stock market index of the Nigeria Stock Exchange which for its calculation uses only common stocks (ordinary shares), was developed in 1984.
Its market capitalisation was 5.12trillion naira at the end of 2006 compared to 2.9trillion the previous year.
Prices of new issues are determined by issuing houses/stockbrokers, while on the secondary market prices are made by stockbrokers only. The market/quote prices, along with the All-Share Index, are published daily in The Stock Exchange Daily Official List, The Nigerian Stock Exchange CAPNET (an intranet facility), The Nigerian Stock Exchange website (www.nigerianstockexchange.com), our stock update page, Newspapers and on the stock market page of the Reuters Electronic Contributor System.
In order to encourage foreign investment in Nigeria, the government has abolished legislation preventing the flow of foreign capital into the country. This has allowed foreign brokers to enlist as dealers on the Nigeria Stock Exchange and investors of any nationality are free to invest. Nigerian companies are also allowed multiple and cross border listings on foreign markets.
In the quest of attaining world standard in stock marketing, Nigeria stock exchange became member of the FIBV or “Federation of International Stock Exchange”. Also with the current fight for fraud and corruption, public trust in the Nigeria stock market has grown tremendously, with about three million individual investors and hundreds of institutional investors (including foreigners who own about 47% of the quoted companies) using the facilities of The Nigeria Stock Exchange. The Nigeria Stock Exchange’s 39-year history is devoid of any fraud, shocks, scandals or insider dealings.
The body that governs the Nigeria Stock Exchange is the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Clearing, Settlement and Delivery of transactions on The Nigeria Stock Exchange are done electronically by the Central Securities Clearing System Limited (CSCS), a subsidiary of The Nigeria Stock Exchange. The CSCS Limited (“the Clearing House”) was incorporated in 1992 as part of the effort to make the Nigeria stock market more efficient and investor-friendly. Apart from clearing, settlement and delivery, the CSCS Limited offers custodian services.
Charges included in all transactions are a 3% commission on the traded value of shares and a 1% Securities and Exchange Commission fee. Withholding tax on dividend and interest remains at 10%; corporate income tax, 35%, capital gains tax, 10%.
The Nigeria Stock exchange is presently headed by a Director-General in the person of Dr Mrs Ndi Okereke-onyiuke.
Every business has its hurdles, so does stock marketing. We won’t promise you a gold mine, but we assure you of a mine, dig well and you will find gold. The type of gold only stock marketing can guarantee.

Nigerian Stocks, Nigerian stock exchange, Investing in Nigeria

How and why it appeared and functions

Nigeria Stock Exchange is a post from: Stocks And Shares

A Stock Exchange is the place where “Trading operations” are performed which operates with the support of the Stock Brokers and Traders to trade on the Shares and Commodities.

An Exchange is often the most important entity of the Stock Market.All the trading can be done on the Shares of Different companies whose values can be varied according to the Company Status and Liabilities.

DESCRIPTION:-

These exchanges also provide facilities for the issue and redemption of securities as well as other financial instruments and capital events including the payment of income and dividends.

The securities traded on exchange include:

-SHARES issued by companies,

-UNIT TRUSTS and DERIVATIVES

-Pooled Investments products and Bonds.

To be cope up with trading, a security is present on the Stock Market that has to be listed there. Generally there is a central location for recordkeeping and it has connected with the electronic Networks which gives the speed and accuracy to the various transactions.Trade is done by the members on the exchange only.

The initial offering of stocks and bonds is for the Investors.This is to be done in the primary market and further the trading is done in the Secondary market.

ROLE OF STOCK EXCHANGES:

Stock Exchanges plays various roles and i have listed here some of the important roles:

1.Increasing the capital of the Businesses.

2.Supporting the company’s growth.

3.The Savings for investment are mobilized.

4.Sharing of the Profits.

5.Governing the Corporate sector.

6.Creating Investment opportunities for small investors.

7.Barometer of the economy

8.Raising the Government Economy.

MAJOR EXCHANGES OF THE WORLD:-

Following are some of the major exchanges of the World_

1. NewYork Stock exchange

2. Tokyo Stock Exchange

3. NASDAQ

4. NSE

5. London Stock Exchange

6. Shanghai Stock Exchange

7. Australian Securities Exchange

8. Hong Kong Stock Exchange

9. BSE

10.Swiss Exchange

Along with them, there are some of the regional Exchanges In different Countries but they are not so much popular for the Stock Brokers and the Shareholders.

INDIAN STOCK EXCHANGES:

India Exchanges are a structured marketplace for the proper conduct of trading in company stocks and other securities. The main services of The India Exchanges all over the country is to provide nationwide services to investors and to facilitate the issue and redemption of securities and other financial instruments. The introduction of the concept of the indian exchanges in India came with the breaking of the American Civil War and the idea materialized first in 1874 with the foundation of the Bombay Stock Exchange at the Dalal Street in Mumbai.

Currently, in all The Indian Exchanges the trading system is computerized for more efficient and transparent trading. There has been a significant boom in the degree of development and volume of trading in the stock exchanges. The two most important exchange houses of the Indian stock market are-

1. BSE

2. NSE

STOCKS MARKET:-

Stock market is the place where Stocks or shares are being withdrawn and taken by the traders or the brokers of the Stock market.Stock market runs on the price band of the shares as they are being altered and the persons involved in the market are taking their part out of it.

Importance of stock market:

The stock market is one of the best source for the companies to raise their money. They allows the businesses to be publically concerned and company expansion by the selling of the shares of the ownership of the company in the public market.

Thus the Stock market contains the shares of various companies and commodities of various things, if a person wants to earn money in the market, then he has to be very concern about the stock tips and the resource for the tips must be accurate and i have known one of the best Advisory Firm in market and experienced as well known as “CapitalVia”. The Firm provides Stock Tips on Equity, Commodity, Options and futures Market.

London Stock Exchange mulls Nasdaq takeover – report
The London Stock Exchange is eying a takeover of its U.S. rival Nasdaq just weeks after announcing a merger with the Toronto stock exchange the Sunday Times reported.
Read more on Reuters via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News

Major Stock Exchanges is a post from: Stocks And Shares

So what is the ASX ( Australian Stock Exchange) and how can it benefit me to become financially free through trading and investing on the Australian Stock Market?

History of the ASX or Australian Stock Exchange

Lets begin by taking a magnified look at the Australian Stock market. From here down we will refer to it as the ASX. The Australian Stock Exchange actually began it’s life way back in 1861 as separate, independent state based exchanges. These separate state based exchanges existed in the following Australian states: Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Hobart. Each Exchange existed for it’s own states benefit and cross trading was not permitted. The first interstate conference was held in 1903 to discuss formal, financial information and this occurred right up until 1937. At this point in time a uniform body was formed to better represent each state which was called the “Australian Associated Stock Exchanges” or AASE. As time went on, this unit became closer to becoming a single entity and created a list of trading rules, rates, listing rules and brokerage rules to keep uniformity across all states.

As the Australian Stock Exchange was relatively small at this point in time, financial information and trades were placed by a call system whereby callers employed by the Stock Exchanges literally called out information such as company name and bid or offer prices for that company.

This system of calling was then superseded in the 1960′s to a posting system. In this system employees of the Stock Exchange which were referred to as “chalkies” wrote bid and offer prices and company names on chalk boards on behalf of clients. This is obviously a fairly complicated system with many flaws and could not possibly last forever.

The ASX  was formally and officially formed as a single entity in 1987 by the Parliament of Australia and now traders and investors from anywhere in Australia and in fact the world, were able to now place a trade through a certified broker through one single stock exchange. This made it much easier for everyone , including the companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange who now only needed to list once. Another benefit now was that there was a uniform set of guidelines and rules for everyone including investors, brokers and company’s looking to list on the Stock Exchange. The Australian Securities Exchange is now, itself, listed on the Australian Stock Exchange under the stock code ASX. Although the Exchange regulates other companies it obviously cannot regulate itself as this would be seen as a conflict of interest. For this reason a government body was formed called ASIC which stands for Australian Securities And Investments Commission. Since it’s inception ASIC has successfully prosecuted many fraudulent companies and individuals.

Trading on the ASX which was handles by the chalkies was then transferred to an all electronic system call SEATS which stands for Stock Exchange Automated Trading System. This system is all electronic and much more efficient and is capable of placing hundreds of thousands of stock trades every day. The SEATS system however has now been made redundant for the exchanges current system which is much more powerful and can place even more trades than SEARS could. The new system is called ITS, which stands for Integrated Trading System. This system is in place today and has been hailed a total success.

Australian Stock Exchange Quick Facts

The ASX is today believed to be the eighth largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalisation and is the primary stock exchange in Australia. Although other Australian exchanges exist and mirror the ASX, the Australian Stock Exchange is considered the main hub for investing in Australia. The ASX is currently believed to have a market capitalisation of approximately 1.1 trillion Australian dollars with over 2,200 publicly listed companies.

The ASX has made great historical returns for shareholders who performed in line with the benchmark index (the All ordinaries).

The benefits of listing on the ASX

While there are many benefits of listing on the ASX we will discuss some of the more important ones to consider here. So why list your company on the ASX and make it public?

Firstly this can be a great way to raise funds. This is basically the whole point of going public. If you have a company which you believe has the potential to move forward or has an excellent idea involved with it but you don’t have the working capital or funds to put your growth scenario into play then you would consider going public. Money would be raised through a share offering also known as an IPO (initial Public Offering).

If all your shares in the company are sold and you meet all listing requirements you would be given all the funds in exchange for the shares in your company. this means that you no longer officially own your company but in fact it is owned by share holders.

Another benefit is of course that companies that are listed on the ASX, or public companies, get the attention of the public and more importantly the media. this can be great for brand recognition and you can easily have your company name or brand recognised all over the world.Lastly shares go up, or down in price depending on your companies profits and performance. So if you are able to make your company perform you can crate unlimited wealth beyond your wildest dreams.

There are also a number of downsides with making your company public which must first be considered. The first is that your company will now be owned by shareholders who now have rights such as voting, selling of shares and the calling of meetings. If you under perform shareholder expectations they will of ten dump share causing the share price of your company to dive, so effectively you are now working to keep shareholders happy.

The other main disadvantage can be the media spotlight. Although this can also be an advantage as we discussed earlier, the media could look upon your company negatively which could cause shareholders to get rid of stock. To run a public company we would recommend that you don’t mind public speaking or being in the spotlight should you make a wrong move.

How to get started making money on the ASX

OK, well there is no definitive way to getting started in the stock market for beginners, however there are a few steps that can be taken to better the chance of a successful debut. First thing we recommend you do is familiarize yourself with the stock market, how the market works, how to pick winning stocks and the pitfalls to avoid. we say this over and over but still today one of the best ways of avoiding mistakes and creating wealth through stock market investing or trading is to read books. I mean come on it’s obvious isn’t it!? Knowledge is power and in this case knowledge will equal wealth. the people that have written these books for you to learn from have been where you are and have already made all the mistakes of the inexperienced investor. Why make the same mistakes that they did when you can avoid the expense altogether?

They have also learnt how to be profitable in the stock market by picking winning stock picks and by following winning proven trading systems. For more information on stock market books and to purchase in a secure environment go to our books page here. Stock Market Books

Once you have familiarized yourself with the stock market and how it works you are probably ready to start paper trading. This is simply just the practise of writing down stocks that you think will go up in value and watching the market without actually risking any of your hard earned money. Once you have paper traded for a few months and are confident enough it may be time to take that leap and start actually investing in shares on the Australian Stock Exchange.

The final step before investing is choosing a Stock Broker. There are literally hundreds of brokers out there to choose from with varying brokerage rates and option. We have used many stock market brokers in the past and if you are trading Australian shares you simply could not go past a broker called Minc Trading. They are a very professional stock broker with an excellent trading platform who offer free stock picks to members and are competitively priced.

To sign up with Minc Trading or to just check them out check out the resource box below.

For heaps more information on trading the Australian Stock Exchange check out the resource box below
So what is the ASX ( Australian Stock Exchange) and how can it benefit me to become financially free through trading and investing on the Australian Stock Market?

History of the ASX or Australian Stock Exchange

Lets begin by taking a magnified look at the Australian Stock market. From here down we will refer to it as the ASX. The Australian Stock Exchange actually began it’s life way back in 1861 as separate, independent state based exchanges. These separate state based exchanges existed in the following Australian states: Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Hobart. Each Exchange existed for it’s own states benefit and cross trading was not permitted. The first interstate conference was held in 1903 to discuss formal, financial information and this occurred right up until 1937. At this point in time a uniform body was formed to better represent each state which was called the “Australian Associated Stock Exchanges” or AASE. As time went on, this unit became closer to becoming a single entity and created a list of trading rules, rates, listing rules and brokerage rules to keep uniformity across all states.

As the Australian Stock Exchange was relatively small at this point in time, financial information and trades were placed by a call system whereby callers employed by the Stock Exchanges literally called out information such as company name and bid or offer prices for that company.

This system of calling was then superseded in the 1960′s to a posting system. In this system employees of the Stock Exchange which were referred to as “chalkies” wrote bid and offer prices and company names on chalk boards on behalf of clients. This is obviously a fairly complicated system with many flaws and could not possibly last forever.

The ASX  was formally and officially formed as a single entity in 1987 by the Parliament of Australia and now traders and investors from anywhere in Australia and in fact the world, were able to now place a trade through a certified broker through one single stock exchange. This made it much easier for everyone , including the companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange who now only needed to list once. Another benefit now was that there was a uniform set of guidelines and rules for everyone including investors, brokers and company’s looking to list on the Stock Exchange. The Australian Securities Exchange is now, itself, listed on the Australian Stock Exchange under the stock code ASX. Although the Exchange regulates other companies it obviously cannot regulate itself as this would be seen as a conflict of interest. For this reason a government body was formed called ASIC which stands for Australian Securities And Investments Commission. Since it’s inception ASIC has successfully prosecuted many fraudulent companies and individuals.

Trading on the ASX which was handles by the chalkies was then transferred to an all electronic system call SEATS which stands for Stock Exchange Automated Trading System. This system is all electronic and much more efficient and is capable of placing hundreds of thousands of stock trades every day. The SEATS system however has now been made redundant for the exchanges current system which is much more powerful and can place even more trades than SEARS could. The new system is called ITS, which stands for Integrated Trading System. This system is in place today and has been hailed a total success.

Australian Stock Exchange Quick Facts

The ASX is today believed to be the eighth largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalisation and is the primary stock exchange in Australia. Although other Australian exchanges exist and mirror the ASX, the Australian Stock Exchange is considered the main hub for investing in Australia. The ASX is currently believed to have a market capitalisation of approximately 1.1 trillion Australian dollars with over 2,200 publicly listed companies.

The ASX has made great historical returns for shareholders who performed in line with the benchmark index (the All ordinaries).

The benefits of listing on the ASX

While there are many benefits of listing on the ASX we will discuss some of the more important ones to consider here. So why list your company on the ASX and make it public?

Firstly this can be a great way to raise funds. This is basically the whole point of going public. If you have a company which you believe has the potential to move forward or has an excellent idea involved with it but you don’t have the working capital or funds to put your growth scenario into play then you would consider going public. Money would be raised through a share offering also known as an IPO (initial Public Offering).

If all your shares in the company are sold and you meet all listing requirements you would be given all the funds in exchange for the shares in your company. this means that you no longer officially own your company but in fact it is owned by share holders.

Another benefit is of course that companies that are listed on the ASX, or public companies, get the attention of the public and more importantly the media. this can be great for brand recognition and you can easily have your company name or brand recognised all over the world.Lastly shares go up, or down in price depending on your companies profits and performance. So if you are able to make your company perform you can crate unlimited wealth beyond your wildest dreams.

There are also a number of downsides with making your company public which must first be considered. The first is that your company will now be owned by shareholders who now have rights such as voting, selling of shares and the calling of meetings. If you under perform shareholder expectations they will of ten dump share causing the share price of your company to dive, so effectively you are now working to keep shareholders happy.

The other main disadvantage can be the media spotlight. Although this can also be an advantage as we discussed earlier, the media could look upon your company negatively which could cause shareholders to get rid of stock. To run a public company we would recommend that you don’t mind public speaking or being in the spotlight should you make a wrong move.

How to get started making money on the ASX

OK, well there is no definitive way to getting started in the stock market for beginners, however there are a few steps that can be taken to better the chance of a successful debut. First thing we recommend you do is familiarize yourself with the stock market, how the market works, how to pick winning stocks and the pitfalls to avoid. we say this over and over but still today one of the best ways of avoiding mistakes and creating wealth through stock market investing or trading is to read books. I mean come on it’s obvious isn’t it!? Knowledge is power and in this case knowledge will equal wealth. the people that have written these books for you to learn from have been where you are and have already made all the mistakes of the inexperienced investor. Why make the same mistakes that they did when you can avoid the expense altogether?

They have also learnt how to be profitable in the stock market by picking winning stock picks and by following winning proven trading systems. For more information on stock market books and to purchase in a secure environment go to our books page here. Stock Market Books

Once you have familiarized yourself with the stock market and how it works you are probably ready to start paper trading. This is simply just the practise of writing down stocks that you think will go up in value and watching the market without actually risking any of your hard earned money. Once you have paper traded for a few months and are confident enough it may be time to take that leap and start actually investing in shares on the Australian Stock Exchange.

The final step before investing is choosing a Stock Broker. There are literally hundreds of brokers out there to choose from with varying brokerage rates and option. We have used many stock market brokers in the past and if you are trading Australian shares you simply could not go past a broker called Minc Trading. They are a very professional stock broker with an excellent trading platform who offer free stock picks to members and are competitively priced.

To sign up with Minc Trading or to just check them out check out the resource box below.

For heaps more information on trading the Australian Stock Exchange check out the resource box below

Philippine Stock Exchange Said to Appoint Chairman Hans Sicat as President
Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. , operator of the Southeast Asian nation’s equities market, plans to appoint Chairman Hans Sicat as president as soon as today, according to three members of its 15-member board.
Read more on Bloomberg

Asx Australian Stock Exchange Stock Market Information is a post from: Stocks And Shares

Stock exchanges allow individuals and business’s a place to trade marketable securities with one another. Companies or governments issue or redeem securities on stock exchanges. To understand the need for stock exchanges we must first go back in time, very far back in time, to see the first example of a stock exchange.  One of the first recorded exchanges was founded in the 12th century.  It allowed banks to manage and deal with the debts of communities that were economically based in agriculture. This trading idea quickly spread all over Europe.

One of the next places to have exchanges was in Venice with bankers during the 13th century who were trading government securities.  Other communities such as Pisa, Verona, Genoa and Florence also began trading securities.  During this same time period, we see Bruges, in Belgium, exploding onto the map.  While many speculate the Bruges was the first exchange in the world, one thing no one doubts is how it quickly became the power house in the area.  The initial start of the Bruges came as commodity traders gathered inside the house of an individual named Van der Burse.  The Bruges ideas spread to places like Ghent and Amsterdam as well.

The first joint stock company to ever be started was done so by the Dutch.  Joint stock companies were a novel idea at that time.  They allowed shareholders to invest in a business venture.  The difference was that the owners would be paid a share of the profits or be liable for their share of the losses the venture produced.  This was the first time in history that business ventures could be taken on without putting any one single investor at too large a financial risk, while ensuring a very profitable opportunity as well.

The first  company ever formed as a joint stock company was the Dutch East India Company, in 1602.  The Dutch East India Company issued its first shares, which happened to be the first ever IPO (Initial Public Offering) in the world.  It issued stock and even sold bonds to investors.  The sale of their shares took place on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange.

Many decades later, in 1688 to be exact, the London Stock Exchange was born.  Trade in the London Stock Exchange began with the need to finance two voyages: The Muscovy Company’s attempt to reach China via the White Sea, north of Russia, and the East India Company’s voyage to India.  Unable to finance these expensive journeys privately, the companies raised the money by selling shares to merchants, giving them a right to a portion of any profits eventually made.  The idea soon caught on. It is estimated that by 1695 there were 140 joint-stock companies. The stock trading was centered around the City’s Change Alley, in two coffee shops: Garraway’s and Jonathan’s.

Stock Exchanges were also developing in Germany.  The origins of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange go back to the 9th century with Emperor Louis the German issuing a letter to hold free trade fairs.  By the 16th century Frankfurt developed into a wealthy and busy city, with an economy based on trade and financial services.  In 1585, a stock exchange was established to set up fixed currency exchange rates to allow for trade in different currencies.

The Amsterdam Stock Exchange is considered the oldest in the world. It was established in 1602 by the Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or “VOC”) for trading in its stocks and bonds.  It was subsequently renamed the Amsterdam Bourse and was the first to formally begin trading in securities.

Over in America, it took nearly another century for our first official stock exchange to emerge.  The first exchange in America was created on the street corner of 68 Wall Street, in New York City.  They called the agreement the Buttonwood Agreement, since it was signed by twenty-four brokers under a buttonwood tree.  The name changed to the New York Stock and Exchange Board some time later.  The New York Stock and Exchange Board rented a place at 40 Wall Street, in 1817, for only 0 a month.  This location served them well for almost 20 years, but was destroyed in New York’s Great Fire in 1835. Finally, about thirty years later, during the Civil War, the name was changed once again to its current name, the New York Stock Exchange.  Back in those days there was no internet, radio or television.  Most people got their information from word of mouth, newspapers or short pamphlets.  One such pamphlet was the “Customer’s Afternoon Letter,” which was a daily two-page financial news bulletin produced by Charles Dow.  This type of bulletin, or news service, was the forerunner of news services like the Wall Street Journal.  Since the year 1884, the “Customer’s Afternoon Letter” included a stock average called the Dow Jones Averages.  This small list contained nine railroad companies and two industrial companies.  You may recognize that last name of Dow, since it is the same name as the stock index, The Dow Jones Industrial Average.  When it did make its transition, in 1896, to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, it included 12 stocks from America’s leading industries.

Many years later, with the computer revolution just starting, the world needed an electronic stock exchange.  In 1971, we got just that, the National Association of Securities Dealers, or for short, NASDAQ. This was, at first, just a bulletin board for buyers and sellers to see posted prices but did not allow actual orders to take place through computers yet.  With prices viewable on a screen to everyone, the “spread,” or difference between the bid price(buy) and ask price(sell) of a stock traded on an exchange fell significantly.  Even though the NASDAQ is a computer based trading system, it wasn’t until the year 1987, that computers were finally utilized to process trades.  Up until the 1987 stock market crash, all orders were made via the phone, where brokers called each other.  During the Black Monday market collapse, when brokers tried to call each other to sell or buy stock, they were avoiding answering their phones.  Since there was no liquidity or trading happening in the market, stock prices spiraled downward, with what seemed like no end in sight.  This was a problem for the exchange. When panic hit the market, if no one was willing to trade with each other, the prices of everything on that exchange could fall to unthinkable lows, causing massive losses for everyone.  To solve that problem, they created the Small Order Execution System (SOES).  It allowed brokers to trade with market makers who would always honor trades regardless of the conditions on the market.

In 1898, the Chicago Butter and Egg Board was established as a not for profit organization.  The name was changed to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) in 1919.  The CME specializes in commodities, derivatives and futures trading.  Today on the CME, many other financial instruments are traded like; interest rates, equities, currencies, commodities, weather, real estate derivatives, options and futures.  The CME is the largest options and futures market in the whole world.

The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), established in 1848, is the world’s oldest futures and options exchange.  More than 50 different options and futures contracts are traded by over 3,600 CBOT members, through open outcry and e-Trading systems.

The concerns of U.S. merchants to ensure that there were buyers and sellers for commodities resulted in forward contracts to sell and buy commodities at future dates.  This means, merchants wanted to buy commodities in future dates and sellers were concerned about what the price would be in the future.  Forward and future contracts allow both parties to lock in the price they pay for a commodity in advance, thus ensuring everyone is protected from sharp price changes before delivery date on the contract.  Credit risk also remained a serious problem in the economy.  The CBOT solved this problem by providing a centralized location, where buyers and sellers could meet to negotiate and formalize forward contracts.  In 1864, the CBOT listed the first ever standardized “exchange traded” forward contracts, which were called futures contracts.

The Chicago Board of Trade established the Chicago Board Options Exchange(CBOE) in 1973.  This was the first exchange to list standardized, exchange-traded stock options.   They allowed the option to purchase a stock at a future date for a specified price.

The Wall Street Journal estimated that globally, as of April 11, 2007, the market capitalization of the derivatives markets (futures, options, swaps, forwards, etc.) exceeded 0 trillion dollars.  US stock exchanges had approximately trillion and the rest of the worlds stock exchanges totaled another trillion.  Global fixed income markets(bonds, etc) totaled to roughly trillion.

The origin of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) can be traced to1872, with a group of Manhattan dairy merchants, who got together and created the Butter and Cheese Exchange of New York.  Soon, egg trade became part of the business conducted on the exchange and the name was modified to the Butter, Cheese, and Egg Exchange.  Finally, in 1882 the name changed to what we all know it as today, the New York Mercantile Exchange and opened trade to dried fruits, canned goods, and poultry.

The New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) is the world’s largest physical commodity futures exchange, located in New York City.  Its two principal divisions are the New York Mercantile Exchange and Commodity Exchange, Inc (COMEX).  The New York Mercantile Exchange handles billions of dollars worth of energy products, metals, and other commodities. They are bought and sold on the trading floor and the overnight electronic trading computer systems.  The prices quoted for transactions on the exchange are the basis for prices that people pay for various commodities throughout the world.

The AMEX started out in 1842 as a market at the curbstone on Broad Street near Exchange Place street, NYC.  The curb brokers gathered around the lamp posts and mail boxes, resisting wind and weather, putting up lists of stocks for sale.  As trading activity increased, so did the volume of the transactions.  The shouting reached such a high level that stock hand signals had to be introduced so that the brokers could continue trading.  In 1921 the market was moved indoors to the building at 86 Trinity Place, Manhattan, where it still resides.  The hand signals remained in place for decades even after the move, as a convenient means of communication.  AMEX’s core business has shifted over the years from stocks to options and Exchange-traded funds, although it continues to trade small to mid-size stocks.

The Origin and History of Stock Exchanges

The Origin and History of Stock Exchanges is a post from: Stocks And Shares

Stock exchanges allow individuals and business’s with a place to trade marketable securities to one another. The primary place where companies or governments issue or redeem securities is on exchanges. To understand the need forstock exchanges we must first go back in time, very far back in time to be exact to see the first example of a stock exchange. One of the first recorded exchanges was founded in the 12th century to help banks manage and deal with the debts of communities that were economically based in agriculture. This trading idea quickly spread all over Europe. One of the next places that we see history of exchanges is in Venice with bankers during the 13th century trading government securities. Other communities such as Pisa, Verona, Genoa and Florence also began trading securities, mostly government as well. During this same time period we see Bruges, in Belgium explode onto the map. While many speculate the Bruges was possibly the first exchange in the world, one thing no one doubts is how it quickly became the power house of the area. The initial start came as commodity traders gathered inside the house of a individual named Van der Burse. Their idea also spread to places like Ghent and Amsterdam.

The first joint stock company to ever be started was done so by the Dutch. Joint stock companies were a novel idea for the time, they allowed shareholders or owners of the company to invest in a business venture. The difference was that the owners or shareholders of the company would be paid a share of the profits or even losses the venture produced. This was the first time in history that business ventures could be taken on without putting any one single investor at too large a financial risk while ensuring a very profitable opportunity as well. The first ever company that formed as a joint stock company was the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch East India Company in 1602 issued its first shares, which happened to be the first ever IPO in the world, issuing stock and even selling bonds to investors. The sale of shares took place on the Amsterdam stock exchange.

Many decades later, 1688 to be exact, the London Stock Exchange was born.  The trade in shares in London (London Stock Exchange) began with the need to finance two voyages: The Muscovy Company’s attempt to reach China via the White Sea north of Russia, and the East India Company voyage to India and the east. The trading in the stocks of the second company began in 1688. Unable to finance these expensive journeys privately, the companies raised the money by selling shares to merchants, giving them a right to a portion of any profits eventually made. The idea soon caught. It is estimated that by 1695, there were 140 joint-stock companies. The trade in shares was centered around the City’s Change Alley in two coffee shops: Garraway’s and Jonathan’s. The origins of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange go back to the 9th century and a free letter by Emperor Louis the German to hold free trade fairs. By the 16th century Frankfurt developed into a wealthy and busy city with an economy based on trade and financial services. In 1585 a bourse was established to set up fixed currency exchange rates. During the following centuries Frankfurt developed into one of the world’s first stock exchanges – next to London and Paris. Bankers like Mayer Amschel Rothschild and Max Warburg had substantial influence on Frankfurt’s financial trade. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange is considered the oldest in the world. It was established in 1602 by the Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or “VOC”) for dealings in its printed stocks and bonds. It was subsequently renamed the Amsterdam Bourse and was the first to formally begin trading in securities.

Over in America it took nearly another century for our first official stock exchange. The first exchange in America was created on the literal street corner of 68 Wall Street in New York City. They called the agreement the Buttonwood Agreement since it was signed by twenty-four brokers under a buttonwood tree. After a few centuries the property was renamed, it now was to be called the New York Stock and Exchange Board. Its kind of funny to look back and think about how cheap it was to rent space especially for something like a stock exchange. The New York Stock and Exchange Board rented a place at 40 Wall Street in 1817 for only 0 a month. This location served them well for almost 20 years but was destroyed in New York’s Great Fire in 1835. Finally, about thirty years later, during the Civil War, the name was changed once again, to what we now know it is, the New York Stock Exchange. Back in those days there was no internet or radio or television so most people got their information from either word of mouth, newspapers or short pamphlets. One such pamphlet was the Customer’s Afternoon letter which was only a daily two-page financial news bulletin produced by Charles Dow. The idea for this type of bulletin or news service was what would later allow companies like the Wall Street Journal to thrive since there had been a steady demand for that type of information. Since 1884 this letter included a stock average called the Dow Jones Averages. This small list contained nine railroad companies and two industrial companies.. You may recognize that last name of Dow, since it is the same name as a stock index, The Dow Jones Industrial Average. When it did make its transition in 1896 to the Dow Jones IndustrialAverage it included 12 stocks from America’s leading industries and was what we call today a dollar average of them.

Many years later, with the computer revolution just starting, the world needed an electronic stock exchange. In 1971, we got just that, the National Association of Securities Dealers or for short NASDAQ. This was at first just a bulletin board for buyers and sellers to see posted prices but did not allow actual orders to take place through computers yet. With prices viewable on a screen to everyone, the spread or difference in the bid price and ask price of a stock traded on an exchange fell significantly. Even though the NASDAQ is a computer based trading system it wasn’t until the year 1987, that computers were finally utilized to process trades. Up until the 1987 stock market crash, all orders were made via the phone, where brokers called each other. What was found after the crash was that when brokers tried to call other brokers to sell or buy stock, they didn’t answer, meaning there was no liquidity or activity. This was obviously a problem so to solve that they created the Small Order Execution System (SOES) to allow brokers to trade with market makers who would always honor trades made and not try to hide when the markets turned south. Another American commodity, derivative and futures exchange is the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). In the year 1898 the exchange was officially founded, but the name was the Chicago Butter and Egg Board and it was also a not for profit organization as well. Today on the CME many financial instruments are traded like, interest rates, equities, currencies, commodities, weather, real estate derivatives, options and finally futures. An interesting note, the CME is the largest options and futures market in the whole world.

The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), established in 1848, is the world’s oldest futures and options exchange. More than 50 different options and futures contracts are traded by over 3,600 CBOT members through open outcry and e-Trading systems. The concerns of U.S. merchants to ensure that there were buyers and sellers for commodities have resulted in forward contracts to sell and buy commodities. Still, credit risk remained a serious problem. The CBOT took shape to provide a centralized location, where buyers and sellers can meet to negotiate and formalize forward contracts. In 1864, the CBOT listed the first ever standardized “exchange traded” forward contracts, which were called futures contracts. In 1919, the Chicago Butter and Egg Board, a spin-off of the CBOT, was reorganized to enable member traders to allow future trading, and its name was changed to Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). The Chicago Board of Trade established the Chicago Board Options Exchange in 1973. The first exchange to list standardized, exchange-traded stock options began its first day of trading on April 26, 1973, in a celebration of the 125th birthday of the Chicago Board of Trade. CBOE’s options contracts are cleared by the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC). As of approximately April 11, 2007, the Wall Street Journal estimates that globally the market capitalization of the derivatives markets (futures, options, swaps, etc.) exceeds 450 trillion dollars (while US stock exchanges have approximately 30 trillion and the rest of the worlds stock exchanges total to about another 20 trillion, to a total of about 50 trillion–while the global fixed income markets total to roughly 65 trillion). The New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) is the world’s largest physical commodity futures exchange, located in New York City. Its two principal divisions are the New York Mercantile Exchange and Commodity Exchange, Inc (COMEX) The New York Mercantile Exchange handles billions of dollars worth of energy products, metals, and other commodities being bought and sold on the trading floor and the overnight electronic trading computer systems. The prices quoted for transactions on the exchange are the basis for prices that people pay for various commodities throughout the world. In 1872, a group of Manhattan dairy merchants got together and created the Butter and Cheese Exchange of New York. Soon, egg trade became part of the business conducted on the exchange and the name was modified to the Butter, Cheese, and Egg Exchange. In 1882, the name finally changed to the New York Mercantile Exchange when opening trade to dried fruits, canned goods, and poultry.

The AMEX started out in 1842 as such a market at the curbstone on Broad Street near Exchange Place. The curb brokers gathered around the lamp posts and mail boxes, resisting wind and weather, putting up lists of stocks for sale. As trading activity increased so did the volume of the transactions; the shouting reached such a high level that stock hand signals had to be introduced so that the brokers could continue trading over the din. In 1921 the market was moved indoors into the building at 86 Trinity Place, Manhattan, where it still resides. The hand signals remained in place for decades even after the move, as a convenient means of communication. AMEX’s core business has shifted over the years from stocks to options and Exchange-traded funds, although it continues to trade small to mid-size stocks. Just a few of the many stock exchanges in the world:

Sydney Futures Exchange, Australia
Australian Stock Exchanges, Australia
Shenzhen Stock Exchange, China
Stock Exchange of Hong Kong,Hong Kong
Hong Kong Futures Exchange,Hong Kong
National Stock Exchange of India,India
Bombay Stock Exchange, India
Nagoya Stock Exchange,Japan
Osaka Securities Exchange, Japan
Tokyo Grain Exchange, Japan
Tokyo International Financial Futures Exchange (TIFFE), Japan
Tokyo Stock Exchange, Japan
Paris Stock Exchange, France
Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Germany
Athens Stock Exchange, Greece
Italian Stock Exchange, Italy
Amsterdam Stock Exchange, The Netherlands
Oslo Stock Exchange, Norway
Lisbon Stock Exchange, Portugal
Russian Securities Market News, Russia
Barcelona Stock Exchange, Spain
Madrid Stock Exchange, Spain
MEFF: (Spanish Financial Futures & Options Exchange), Spain
Stockholm Stock Exchange, Sweden
Swiss Exchange, Switzerland
FTSE International (London Stock Exchange), United Kingdom
London Metal Exchange,United Kingdom
London InternationalFinancial Futures and Options Exchange, United Kingdom
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, Israel
Montreal Stock Exchange, Canada
Toronto Stock Exchange, Canada
Vancouver Stock Exchange, Canada
Winnipeg Stock Exchange, Canada
Mexican Stock Exchange, Mexico
AMEX, United States
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE),United States
NASDAQ, United States
The Arizona Stock Exchange, United States
Chicago Board Options Exchange, United States
Chicago Board of Trade, United States
Chicago Mercantile Exchange, United States
Kansas City Board of Trade, United States
Minneapolis Grain Exchange, United States
Pacific Stock Exchange, United States
Philadelphia Stock Exchange, United States
Rio de Janeiro Stock Exchange, Brazil
Sao Paulo Stock Exchange, Brazil
Caracas Stock Exchange, Venezuela
Venezuela Electronic Stock Exchange, Venezuela

These are not all the exchanges in the entire world, just some of the main ones that most people hear or talk about.  Source http://www.tdd.lt/slnews/Stock_Exchanges/Stock.Exchanges.htm

Stock Exchanges and their History

Stock Exchange Report for Thursday Trading Abroad
Stock markets in Asia were mostly higher Thursday. Japan’s Nikkei stock index gained 0.3 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.8 percent. Benchmark oil for December delivery was up 59 cents at $ 88.40 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The United States and South Korea have failed to reach agreement on an elusive free-trade deal. But Preside
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Stock Exchanges and History of Exchanges is a post from: Stocks And Shares

Author: V. Raghunathan
Paperback: 466 pages
Company: McGraw-Hill Education (India) (2008-09-09) (2008-09-09)
ISBN: 0070077347
List Price: $32.50
Amazon Price: $32.50

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