New York Stock ExchangeThe New York Stock Exchange（NYSE)is the largest stock market in the

New York Stock Exchange

The New York Stock Exchange(NYSE)is the largest stock market in the world and also the oldest financial market in the United States where billions of dollars worth of stock change hands each day.

The exchange evolved from a meeting where 24 brokers and merchants signed the historic "Buttonwood Agreement" to trade a handful of securities on what is now Wall Street in New York City in 1792. It was formally constituted as the New York Stock and Exchange Board in 1817. The present name was adopted in 1863. Today, 2,800 companies trade their shares on the NYSE. These companies are all publicly traded. (9)

The NYSE is owned by its members. A membership is traditionally called a seat. Membership, limited to 1,366 since 1953, is obtained by purchasing(since 1868)a seat from an existing member.

Unlike some of the newer exchanges, the NYSE still uses a large trading floor in order to conduct its transactions. (10) This is called the open outcry system and it usually produces fair market pricing.

Only the highest quality companies can choose to list their securities on the NYSE. To be considered for an NYSE listing, companies must meet strict financial and regulatory criteria. (11) And once they do, the NYSE plays a unique role in providing deep and liquid markets for the trading of those securities, benefiting all investors, large and small. Listed companies pay both initial listing fees and annual fees.

When companies first list on the NYSE, the company's top officials are often invited to ring the Opening Bell on the NYSE Trading Floor. (12)

In addition to having the highest overall listing standards of any securities marketplace in the world, the NYSE is among the world's most well-recognised brand names. (13)

In the more than two centuries that have followed, the NYSE has continued to adapt and evolve into the world's largest global equities marketplace. (14) Its mission is to add value to the capital-raising and asset-management process by providing the highest-quality and most cost-effective marketplace for the trading of financial instruments, to promote confidence in and understanding of that process, and to serve as a forum for discussion of relevant national and international policy issues.

A Issuers that list with the NYSE benefit from association with this brand name while gaining access to the world's largest, most liquid market for the trading of their securities.

B Even meeting these requirements is not a guarantee that the NYSE will list the company.

C That means any investor can buy their stock.

D Many new exchanges have stopped using the trading floor to conduct their transactions.

E It is here that the representatives of buyers and sellers, professionals known as brokers, meet and shout out prices at one another in order to strike a deal.

F The NYSE has remained unwavering in its commitment to customers and to building a truly global marketplace with great breadth of product and geographic reach.

G It was formally constituted as the New York Stock and Exchange Board in 1817.

H Ringing the Bell, which signals the start and close of the trading day, is part of the NYSE's rich heritage and signifies the opportunities the financial markets provide.

(9)