Top 10 Biggest Stock Exchanges In The World

A stock exchange is a market where stock buyers connect with companies who want to sell stocks. It is a centralized location wherein corporations and government come together for trading activities. Stock exchanges have been there for 400 years and today there are around 60 major stock exchanges throughout the world. 

Here, is a list of top 10 biggest stock exchanges in the world.

1) New York Stock Exchange

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is additionally referred to as ‘The Big Board’. The NYSE is the first on the list of the largest stock exchanges in the world and is a highly esteemed stock exchange in the USA. The NYSE has remained the largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalisation ever since the end of World War. It is located at 11, Wall Street, Lower Manhattan, New York City. It consists of 2,400 listed companies which span sectors such as finance, healthcare, consumer goods and energy. It has a market capitalization of US$ 30.1 trillion.

The blue-chip companies which are listed under NYSE are Berkshire Hathaway Inc, Coca-Cola, Walt Disney Company, Mc Donald’s Corporation, etc.

Date of establishment: May 17, 1792

Valuation: $19.3 Trillion

 2) NASDAQ

Second on the list of the largest stock exchange in the world is NASDAQ, an abbreviation of National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations. Nasdaq, an American stock exchange is headquartered at 151 W, 42nd Street, New York City.

Nasdaq never operated on a usual open outcry system, instead, it has always used a computer and telephone-based system of trading, which has made the NASDAQ the world’s first electronically traded stock market. It has a combined market capitalization of $10.8 trillion and is ranked second in the list of largest stock exchanges. It consists of more than 3,000 stocks listed under it. The enlistment of the world’s humongous tech giants such as Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Tesla, and Intel makes NASDAQ ‘The Mecca of Technology Companies’

Date of establishment: February 4, 1971

Valuation: $13.8 Trillion

3) Tokyo Stock Exchange

The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) which is also known as TYO and Tōshō is located in Tokyo, Japan. It is listed as the third-largest stock exchange in the world.

TSE has around 3,575 listed companies which has taken its market capitalization to a whooping US$ 5.67 trillion. The TSE’s benchmark index is Nikkei 225 and it is home to Japanese giants with international exposure, including Toyota, Suzuki, Honda, and Mitsubishi and Sony. 

Date of establishment: January 1, 2003

Valuation: $5.7 Trillion 

4) Shanghai Stock Exchange

The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) is a Chinese stock exchange situated in the city of Shanghai, China. It is one of the three stock exchanges plying autonomously in the People’s Republic of China.

Traders can track the performance of stocks listed on the Shanghai stock market using the SSE Composite index, also referred to as the Shanghai Composite. This includes the largest stocks on the Shanghai stock exchange, like PetroChina, the industrial and commercial bank of China and therefore the Agricultural Bank of China.

Currently, Shanghai SSE is the world’s fourth-largest stock exchange with a combined market capitalization of $ 5.01 trillion. It is a non-profit organization with around 1,000 listed companies under it. Stocks listed at the Shanghai stock market have ‘A’ shares that trade in local currency and ‘B’ shares that are priced in the US dollar for foreign investors.

Date of establishment: November 26, 1990

Valuation: $4.9 Trillion

5) Hong Kong Stock Exchange

The Hong Kong Stock Exchange (SEHK) is located in Hong Kong and is the world’s fifth-largest and Asia’s third-largest stock exchange on the basis of market capitalization. It is one of the three stock exchanges in China. SEHK consists of 2,315 listed companies with a wholesome market capitalization of HK$29.9 trillion. It is reported as the fastest-growing stock exchange in Asia.

Its origin can be traced back to the mid-1800s but the stock market was formally set up in 1891 when the Association of Stockbrokers in Hong Kong was established. It was renamed The Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1914. Some of the eminent companies listed under the Hong Kong Stock Exchange are China Mobile, HSBC Holdings & Petro China.

Date of establishment: February 3, 1891

Valuation: $4.4 Trillion

6) EURONEXT

EURONEXT stands for European New Exchange Technology. With it’s registered office in Amsterdam and corporate address at La Défense in Greater Paris, EURONEXT was established in 2000 to represent Europe’s economy which is also the reason why it operates in euros. It is the sixth-largest stock exchange in the world with a market capitalization worth €4.1 trillion.

Over the years, it has amalgamated with multiple exchanges, most particularly the New York Stock Exchange. It steers financial markets in Amsterdam, London, Brussels, Lisbon, Oslo, Dublin, and Paris. It has around 1,500 listed companies. EURONEXT provided the segments which are equities, warrants, exchange-traded, bonds, commodities, funds and certificates, derivatives, indices, and foreign exchange trading platforms. The dominant stock index of EURONEXT is Euronext 100 which includes liquid stocks of gigantic companies including AXA, Christian Dior and Renault.

Date of establishment: September 22, 2000

Valuation: $3.9 Trillion

7) Shenzen Stock Exchange

The Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) is one of the three independently working stock exchanges in China. Although it was founded in 1987, it wasn’t established until 1990. It is the 7th largest stock exchange in the world and has approximately 1,300 listed companies with a combined market capitalization of $3.92 trillion.

Most of the companies under this SZSE are corporate firms of companies in which the Government Of China and it is based in China so SZSE trades its shares in Chinese yuan. The Shenzhen stock market had introduced the “ChiNext Board” in 2009 comprising of high-tech & high-growth startups, quite almost like NASDAQ.

Date of establishment: December 1, 1990

Valuation: $3.5 Trillion

8) London Stock Exchange

The London stock exchange (LSE) is based in London and is the sixth-largest stock market within the world. It was established in 1571 and is the oldest stock exchange in the world. It has more than 3,000 listed companies with a combined market capitalization of $4.59 trillion.

LSE’s service was nothing but a twice-weekly paper publication of market prices back in its origin. It is also the maiden source of benchmark prices, equity-market liquidity and market data in Europe. Some of the huge companies listed under the LSE are Barclays, British Petroleum and GlaxoSmithKline.

Date of establishment: January 23, 1571

Valuation: $3.2 Trillion

9) Toronto Stock Exchange

The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) is situated in Toronto, Canada. It was introduced in 1852 and is held and wielded as a subsidiary of the TMX Group. Enlistment of 2,207 companies with a combined market capitalization of $2.3 trillion makes Toronto Stock Exchange one among the top 10 biggest stock exchanges in the world.

The financial instruments include equities, investment trusts, exchange-traded funds, bonds, commodities, futures, options, and other products. It is also to be noted that mining and oil and gas companies are listed in additional numbers under the Toronto stock market compared to other stock exchanges around the world. Canada’s ‘Big Five’ commercial banks are also listed under TSX.

Date of establishment: October 25, 1861

Valuation: $2.1 Trillion

10) Bombay Stock Exchange

The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) is an Indian stock exchange located at the Dalal Street in Mumbai. It was established in 1875 and is Asia’s first-ever stock market. It is also the world’s 10th largest stock exchange with a total market capitalisation of more than $2.2 trillion.

The BSE has the most companies listed under it. It accounts for about 5,000 companies and has assisted in the growth of the country’s corporate sector and financial markets. Securities listed under BSE comprise of stocks, futures, options, index futures, index options, and weekly options. However, the BSE’s benchmark is measured by the Sensex which nearly covers all the sectors of the Indian economy. The exchange also offers exposure to equities in regions such as Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa.

Date of establishment: July 9, 1877

Valuation: $1.7 Trillion