A lot of people rely on the stock exchanges for their livelihood, either directly or indirectly, and therefore, they are crucial for the financial well-being of a country. There are 60 stock exchanges in the world, and thousands of companies are listed on the majority of these stock exchanges.
There are 60 major international stock exchanges, ranging from the New York Stock Exchange to tiny local exchanges in terms of size and trade activity.
Largest Stock Exchanges in the World
Let’s take a look at the largest stock exchanges in the world by market capitalization.
1. New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is located on Wall Street in New York.
Nearly 40% of the value of the whole global stock market was represented by the $23.12 trillion market capitalization of the New York Stock Exchange in March 2018.
On the New York Stock Exchange, there are approximately 2400 companies listed, representing industries like finance, healthcare, consumer products, and energy.
2. National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ)
The National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations, or NASDAQ, a stock exchange in New York, was established in 1971 by a group of regional stockbrokers.
The NASDAQ market capitalization, which ranks it as the second-largest stock exchange, hit $10.93 trillion in March 2018.
Apple (APPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Facebook (FB), Tesla (TSLA), and other prominent NASDAQ listed businesses are among those with the greatest market capitalization among tech equities.
3. Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE)
The largest stock exchange in Japan is the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), which was established in 1878.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange now has over 3575 listed companies, bringing its market value to $6.22 trillion as of March 2018.
The Nikkei 225, which includes the biggest firms listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), such as Sony Corp., Toyota Motor Corp., and Honda Motor Co., serves as the benchmark index for the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
4. Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE)
The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) is one of three independent stock exchanges in the People’s Republic of China – the other two being Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
The Shanghai Stock Exchange’s market capitalization reached $5.01 trillion in March 2018.
5. Hong Kong Stock Exchange (SEHK)
The Hong Kong Stock Exchange (SEHK) was founded in 1891 by the Association of Stockbrokers in Hong Kong.
With a market capitalization of $4.46 trillion in March 2018, the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong is the third-largest stock exchange in Asia and the fifth-largest in the world.
There are 1955 companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange – a large portion of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange’s market capitalisation comes from its 20 largest stocks.