London Stock Exchange

Origin of share trading

The trade in shares in London 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.

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.

[edit] Exchange

The idea soon caught on (one of the earliest was the Earl of Bedford's scheme to drain the fens). It is estimated that by 1695, there were 140 joint-stock companies. The trade in shares was centred around the City's Change Alley in two coffee shops: Garraway's and Jonathan's. The broker, John Castaing, published the prices of stocks and commodities called The Course of the Exchange and other things in these coffee shops.

American Stock Exchange

NYSE Amex Equities, formerly known as the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) is an American stock exchange situated in New York. AMEX was a mutual organization, owned by its members. Until 1953 it was known as the New York Curb Exchange.^[4] On January 17, 2008 NYSE Euronext announced it would acquire the American Stock Exchange for $260 million in stock.^[5] On October 1, 2008, NYSE Euronext completed acquisition of the American Stock Exchange.^[6] Before the closing of the acquisition, NYSE Euronext announced that the Exchange will be integrated with Alternext European small-cap exchange and renamed NYSE Alternext U.S.^[7] In March 2009, NYSE Alternext U.S. was again rebranded to NYSE Amex Equities.^[8]

Australian Securities Exchange

The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) is the primary stock exchange in Australia. The ASX began as separate state-based exchanges established as early as 1861. Today trading is all-electronic and the exchange is a public company, listed on the exchange itself.

The Australian Securities Exchange as it is now known resulted from the merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange in December 2006.

Bombay Stock Exchange

The Bombay/Mumbai Stock Exchange Limited (Marathi: मुंबई शेयर बाजार Mumbaī Śheyar Bājār) (formerly, The Stock Exchange, Mumbai; popularly called The Bombay/Mumbai Stock Exchange, or BSE) is the oldest stock exchange in Asia and has the greatest number of listed companies in the world, with 4700 listed as of August 2007.^[1] It is located at Dalal Street, Mumbai, India. On 31 December 2007, the equity market capitalization of the companies listed on the BSE was US$ 1.79 trillion, making it the largest stock exchange in South Asia and the 12th largest in the world.

Chicago Stock Exchange

The Chicago Stock Exchange (CHX) is a Chicago-based stock exchange. The Exchange is a national securities exchange and self-regulated organization, which operates under the oversight of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The Chicago Stock Exchange is the third most active stock exchange in the United States by volume, and the largest outside of New York City. The Chicago Stock Exchange is currently located at 440 South LaSalle Street (One Financial Place).

JET

The JSE makes use of fully automatic electronic trading on the JET System (Johannesburg Equities Trading). The System is an order-driven automated trading system acquired from the Chicago Stock Exchange, which has successfully installed the system at several other exchanges around the world.

The system was modified to suit the JSE's specialized needs. this was the best stock market thing to go to.

Hong Kong Stock Exchange

he Hong Kong Stock Exchange (traditional Chinese: 香港交易所, also 港交所 (HKEX), SEHK: 0388) is the stock exchange of Hong Kong. The exchange has predominantly been the main exchange for Hong Kong where shares of listed companies are traded. It is Asia's third largest stock exchange in terms of market capitalisation, behind the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Shanghai Stock Exchange. As of 31 December 2007, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange had 1,241 listed companies with a combined market capitalisation of $2.7 trillion. Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing is the holding company for the exchange.