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Jan 1, 1300
The First Trades
Some of the first trades were between Ventians in Europe. Money lenders would trade debts between each other. The lenders would also buy governement debt issues. They would carry slates with the latest issues to sell which made them the first form of stock brokers. -
Jan 1, 1531
The First Stock Exchange
Belgium created their first stock exchange. Brokers and moneylenders would meet there to deal in business, government and even individual debt issues. There were no real stocks yet in the 1500s. -
East India Companies
In the 1600s, the Dutch, British, and French governments all gave charters to companies with East India in their names. In order to lessen the risk of a lost ship ruining their fortunes, ship owners had long been in the practice of seeking investors who would put up money for the voyage - outfitting the ship and crew in return for a percentage of the proceeds if the voyage was successful. -
Doing Business In Coffee Shops
Because the shares in the various East India companies were issued on paper, investors could sell the papers to other investors. Unfortunately, there was no stock exchange in existence, so the investor would have to track down a broker to carry out a trade. In England, most brokers and investors did their business in the various coffee shops around London. Debt issues and shares for sale were written up and posted on the shops' doors or mailed as a newsletter. -
Londons Stock Exchange
The first stock exchange in London was officially formed in 1773, also known as the LSE. -
The New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange made its home on Wall Street. It was in the heart of all the business and trade coming to and going from the United States.By setting listing requirements and demanding fees, the New York Stock Exchange became a very wealthy institution.The NYSE had its share of ups and downs too. The great depression threw a heavy blow to stock prices leaving many people poor and broke. -
The Introduction of NASDAQ
NASDAQ is a network of computers that execute trades electronically. This was a huge deal because of the invention of computers and networks. NASDAQ make trading more efficient and allowed more stocks to be traded frequently. -
The Stock Market Today
Today the government has been shut down for two weeks so far. This has allowed the NYSE to decrease in .3 percent. The price of gold increased 25%. Many people are scared that if the government does not get up and running again that it might lead to another recession or even depression
