Worlds Best Stock Exchanges And How They Function

Most of the public assumes that a stock exchange is just a marketplace where people buy or sell stocks. That is a correct assumption. But that is not all that a stock exchange is.Defining a Stock Exchange in a more particular sense, they are firms or organizations that offer services to the buyers and sellers of stocks, bonds, derivatives, and other financial instruments.

What it implies is that a stock market is a corporation with its workers, but of course, the government has a great stake in it; stock exchanges have been used a lot of times as one of the many markers of a country`s economic might. This implies that although the government may pass laws and regulations, the firm functions day to day under its management, simply under the direction of the aforementioned government.

Knowing the 2 top Stock Exchanges in the world and how they conduct their functions will undoubtedly help people realize how essential a stock exchange is and have some basic information on what a functional stock exchange does.

The New York Stock Exchange

The biggest Stock Exchange in the world, the NYSE is immensely valuable. Estimates (NYSE`s estimates) say that a third of all equities traded in the world are traded in the NYSE. The market cap of the NYSE is $19 trillion. That is immensely large since the total value of the next three largest stock exchanges amounts only to $16 trillion.

The NYSE functions like a marketplace, literally. You can hear people talking to their phones, some in a calm voice while others in an excited or panicked tone. You can see people waving their hands. If you enter at opening or closing hours, you can hear the bell signaling the start or end of the trading day.

NASDAQ

On the other hand, the second largest stock exchange is NASDAQ. While both are located in the United States, there is a big difference in how they execute their functions. The NYSE still has that traditional trader feel with human voices, ringing phones, and waving hands.

On the other hand, NASDAQ is located inside a communications tower. You can find more engineers and IT infrastructure people here rather than traders. This is because the trading takes place directly with buyers and sellers through market makers.

One large factor why there is a big difference in function and operations is due to perceptions; NASDAQ is more geared towards the more modern, high-tech companies while the NYSE is more geared towards blue chips and companies with a long track record.