NASDAQ (originally an acronym for National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations ) is a U.S. electronic stock exchange. It was founded by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) who divested it in a series of sales in 2000 and 2001. It is owned and operated by The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. NASDAQ: NDAQ which was listed on its own stock exchange in 2002. NASDAQ is the largest electronic screen-based equity securities market in the United States. With approximately 3,300 companies, it lists more companies and, on average, trades more shares per day than any other U.S. market. The current chief executive is Robert Greifeld.
The
NASDAQ MarketSite LED video display at the corner of Broadway and 43rd Street in New York City is one of the largest of its kind in the world.
History
When it began trading on February 8, 1971, it was the world's first electronic stock market. On July 17, 1995 the NASDAQ stock index closed above the 1,000 mark for the first time. The index peaked at 5132.52 on March 10, 2000, which signaled the beginning of the end of the dot-com boom stock market bubble. The index declined to half its value within a year and is still valued at less than half its peak.[1] However, NASDAQ is now the largest U.S. electronic stock market.
The technology-heavy NASDAQ Composite index peaked in March 2000, reflecting the high point of the dot-com bubble. Within a year it had declined to less than half its peak value. The rapid devaluation was cited by Al Gore as a reason he lost the Election of 2000.
Business
NASDAQ allows multiple market participants to trade through its electronic communications networks (ECNs) structure, increasing competition. The Small Order Execution System (SOES) is another NASDAQ feature, introduced in 1987, to ensure that in 'turbulent' market conditions small market orders are not forgotten but are automatically processed. With approximately 3,200 companies, it lists more companies and, on average, trades more shares per day than any other stock exchange in the world. It is home to companies that are leaders across all areas of business including technology, retail, communications, financial services, transportation, media and biotechnology. NASDAQ is the primary market for trading NASDAQ-listed stocks.
Owners
Yahoo! data
- NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SEC. DEALERS INC.: 30 percent
Markets
Bid for LSE
In early March 2006, Nasdaq made a 2.4 Billion dollar bid for the London Stock Exchange. The LSE has not yet made a descision as to merge with the Nasdaq or not.
Companies
