INVESTING

The New York Stock Exchange

The New York Stock Exchange is the largest stock exchange in the world in terms of the amount of money, the amount of company value on the exchange. Originating in 1792, the Stock Exchange was formed when stockbrokers and merchants signed the Buttonwood Agreement.

As the world’s leading and most technologically advanced equities market, the New York Stock Exchange attracts investors and investments from every corner of the globe. Through the Stock Exchange, investors buy and sell shares in the biggest and best companies in the world. Each day billions of dollars of shares are traded on the Exchange.

The stock exchange is made of members, who actually do the buying and selling for their clients. These companies, located around the world, are financially large. The value of the all the companies that own a seat on the Exchange is almost four trillion dollars. They execute stock market orders for millions of clients. Billions of shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange every single day.

The purpose of the New York Stock Exchange is to provide a marketplace for companies to raise money for their business operations by selling a part of the ownership of their company to the public. Through the New York Stock Exchange, you can be an owner of corporations that are household names like Coca-Cola or Sony. As you can see, not just domestic companies list their shares on the New York Stock Exchange. Almost 2,800 world-class companies with a total global market value of $21 trillion are listed on the Exchange...

As a small owner of a large company, you may think that you do not count. Not true at all. The rules that allow a corporation to list its shares on the Exchange also require that the company treat you as if you were their largest shareholder. All companies listed on the Stock Exchange must provide shareholders with the same complete financial information as their Chairman of the Board.

The Stock Exchange carefully regulates the activities of its member-brokers to guard the investing public. Membership on the New York Stock Exchange is not cheap with a seat costing sometimes millions of dollars.

Here are some interesting facts about the New York Stock Exchange. The first listed company was the Bank of New York, traded under the Buttonwood Tree in 1792. The longest listed company is Con Edison, listed in 1824 as the New York Gas Light Company. The Exchange had its first telephone in 1878 but only got electric lights in 1883.

Investing on the Stock Exchange requires that you contact one of their member firms or a correspondent broker of a member firm. Moreover, always make sure that the people you are dealing with are licensed and regulated by the New York Stock Exchange.