This “Main Street
for Wall Street” submission is provided courtesy of ADVFN plc
(LSE:
AFN) (OTC:
AVFCF).
Stock Exchange History
The history of stock exchanges
can be traced to 12th century France, when the first brokers are
believed to have developed, trading in debt and government securities.
Unofficial share markets existed across Europe through the 1600s, where
brokers would meet outside or in coffee houses to make trades. The
Amsterdam Stock Exchange, created in 1602, became the first official
stock exchange when it began trading shares of the Dutch East India
Company. These were the first company shares ever issued.
By the early 1700s there were
fully operational stock exchanges in France and England, and America
followed in the later part of the century. Share exchanges became an
important way for companies to raise capital for investment, while also
offering investors the opportunity to share in company profits. The
early days of the stock exchange experienced many scandals and share
crashes, as there was little to no regulation and almost anyone was
allowed to participate in the exchange.
Today, stock exchanges operate
around the world, and they have become highly regulated institutions.
Investors wanting to buy and sell shares must do so through a share
broker, who pays to own a seat on the exchange. Companies with shares
traded on an exchange are said to be 'listed' and they must meet
specific criteria, which varies across exchanges. Most stock exchanges
began as floor exchanges, where traders made deals face-to-face. The
largest stock exchange in the world, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE),
continues to operate this way, but most of the world's exchanges have
now become fully electronic.
North American stock exchanges
include the
American Stock
Exchange (AMEX),
Chicago Mercantile
Exchange (CME),
New York Stock
Exchange (NYSE) and the
Nasdaq Stock Exchange (NASDAQ).
European Stock Exchanges
include the
London Stock
Exchange (LSE),
London Metal
Exchange (LME),
Irish Stock Exchange
(ISE),
Italian Stock
Exchange (BIT),
Frankfurt Stock
Exchange (FSE),
OMX Stock Exchanges
(OMX) ,
Moscow Stock
Exchange (MICEX) and the
Athens Stock
Exchange (ASE).
Asian and Pacific stock
exchanges include the
Hong Kong Stock
Exchange (HKSE),
Bombay Stock
Exchange (BSE),
Hyderabad Stock
Exchange (HSE),
Tokyo Stock Exchange
(TSE), the
Singapore Exchange (SGX),
Australian Stock
Exchange (ASX)
National Stock Exchange of India (NSE),
Karachi Stock
Exchange (KSE),
Philippine Stock
Exchange (PSE),
Shanghai Stock
Exchange (SSE),
New Zealand Stock
Exchange (NZX) and the
Colombo Stock
Exchange (CSE).
Middle Eastern exchanges
include the
Dubai Stock Exchange
(DIFX), and African stock exchanges include the
Johannesburg Stock
Exchange (JSE).
Source:
ADVFN plc (http://www.advfn.com
and
http://www.google.co.uk/finance?q=LON:AFN).
Original
article posted advn.com (http://www.advfn.com/StockExchanges.html).
About ADVFN
ADVFN plc engages in the development and provision of
financial information through the Internet. Its solutions include
monitor, quote, charts, trades, news, financial reports, toplists,
alerts, portfolio, and managed funds. The company also offers various
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discussion forums. It provides financial information of various
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commodities, covered warrants, and spread betting and CFDs in world
exchanges. The company’s additional services include SMS price alerts,
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Kingdom.
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