The New York Stock exchange was established in 1792 when 24 stockbrokers gathered under a buttonwood tree at 68 Wall Street and signed what was called the Buttonwood Agreement. Since then, the New York Stock Exchange has grown to become the biggest exchange in the world. Its success is measured in the dollar volume and listed securities on the exchange. Because it is the largest equities marketplace in the world, billions of dollars of shares are traded daily. The total global market value of the listed companies is estimated at $25 trillion dollars. This includes non-U.S. companies which are worth $9.6 trillion dollars. The stock exchange's primary function is to allow investors to buy and sell shares of the publicly traded companies they list. These companies are a cross-section of large, midsize and small capitalization companies. The New York Stock Exchange is comprised of companies who trade on the floor for numerous US companies and entities from around the world. They directly buy and sell shares from a special group of auctioneers representing seat owners. These seats are owned by large firms who can afford to buy their place in the exchange, priced at millions of dollars. This privilege allows them to trade and handle billions of dollars in market orders directly to the member companies. The New York Stock Exchange primarily started as a non-profit entity to help companies raise their capital by providing a venue for trading stocks and bonds. These companies earn by offering a percentage of ownership to the public, who in turn could earn as well from the shares if their value increases in the market. There are about 2,800 US companies and from other countries listed in the exchange. Anyone can own stock from these multi-million dollar companies, such as Microsoft and Wal-Mart. If you only by a few shares in a large company like Coca Cola, you might not think your investment counts for much, but that isn't exactly true. In order for a company to list shares on the exchange, the exchange requires that the company provide the same complete financial information to anyone who owns even one share of stock.. This includes and invitation to the annual stockholder's meeting. Find out more about the stockmarket at http://www.learningtotradestock.com The New York Stock Exchange maintains its reputation of protecting investors through the regulation of activities by its member-brokers. Seat ownership is not only a huge responsibility, it is only for solid and secure corporations who can put-up the millions of dollars needed to become a member of the exchange. The New York Stock Exchange does not lack either in historically significant facts about its members. For example, the first company to be listed in Wall Street was the Bank of New York, trading in the same year of the organization's creation. The New York Gas Light Company holds the record for the longest listed corporation. The exchange had a telephone installed in the building in 1978 before it got electric lights five years later. In order for you to be able to invest in the New York Stock Exchange, you must contact any of the stock brokers of member companies. This way, you can be assured that the people handling your account are licensed and governed by the exchange.
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