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Wall Street Laid Out
Surveyors lay out Wall Street along the line of the stockade that was used to protect them from the britsh and indians -
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New York Stock Exchange
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US Investment Markets Born
The federal government refinances all federal and state Revolutionary War debt, issuing $80 million in bonds. These become the first major issues of publicly traded securities, marking the birth of the U.S. investment markets. -
Buttonwood Agreement
24 prominent brokers and merchants gather on Wall Street to sign the Buttonwood Agreement, agreeing to trade securities on a commission basis. The New York Stock Exchange traces its beginnings to this historic pact. -
NY Brokers Form NYS & EB
The New York brokers establish a formal organization, the New York Stock & Exchange Board (NYS&EB) and rent rooms at 40 Wall Street. They adopt a constitution with rules for the conduct of business. -
Erie Canal Opens
New York State bonds, issued to finance the canal, are traded actively on the Exchange. -
Outbreak of the Civil War
At the outbreak of the Civil War, the NYS&EB suspends trading in securities of seceding states. -
New Name
The New York Stock & Exchange Board becomes the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). -
NYSE Moves into Permanent Home
The Exchange moves to 10-12 Broad Street, just south of Wall Street. This move, together with subsequent purchases of adjacent land, establishes Wall and Broad as the center of securities trading in America. -
Move To Current Site
NYSE moves into its new quarters at 18 Broad Street. The new trading floor, still in use today, is 60 percent larger than the previous floor -
WW1 Causes Longest Exchange Shutdown
Securities exchanges around the world suspend operations to arrest plunging prices. The NYSE closes its doors on July 31, and does not fully reopen for 4 1/2 months, the longest shutdown in Exchange history. -
NYSE Closes For Bank Holiday
The NYSE shut down its operations for FDR's 1933 bank holiday. -
Public Gallery Opens
The NYSE opens its trading floor gallery to the public. The gallery is known today as the Interactive Education Center. -
Women Work on Trading Floor
Women work on the Stock Exchange trading floor for the first time ending the tradition of men only. -
Paperwork Crisis
As trading volume surges, member firms struggle to process transactions on time. Member firm back offices work around the clock to keep up. The "paperwork crisis" continues for months, spurring increased automation. -
First African-American Member
Joseph L. Searles III becomes the first African-American member of the Exchange. -
First Non-US Member Joins NYSE
Bruno Des Forges becomes the first non-US member of the Exchange. -
Largest One-Day Percentage Drop
The Dow Jones Industrial Average experiences its largest one-day percentage drop in history, 508 points or 22.61 percent. This drop causes volume to surge to an unprecedented 604 million shares. The next day, volume reaches 608 million shares. -
Dow Plummets
The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummets 554 points, triggering the NYSE's "circuit breaker" rule for the first time. Trading halts at 3:30 p.m. -
Dow's Biggest Point Jump
The DJIA experiences its largest one-day point gain - 499.19 points - to close at 10,630.60. -
NYSE and ArcaEx Merge
The NYSE Group, Inc., a for-profit, publicly-owned company, is formed out of the merger of the New York Stock Exchange and Archipelago Holdings, Inc. The merger is the largest-ever among securities exchanges up to this time. -
NYSE Euronext Acquires American Stock Exchange
NYSE Euronext acquires the American Stock Exchange(R), becoming the third-largest U.S. options marketplace and enhancing the company’s leadership in ETFs, cash equities, closed-end funds and structured products. More than 500 Amex-listed companies join NYSE Euronext, adding to it a U.S. platform for small-cap companies and building on the company’s leadership position in global listings.