A person who wants to invest or learn more about economics, business or finance may want to know, “How many stock markets are there?” The answer to this question depends on whether a person wants to know about stock market options in the United States, international markets or all of them. Knowing about the different stock exchanges and markets could help a person gain a better understanding of the global economy.
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Major Stock Exchanges Around the World
As of February 2020, there are 16 stock markets or exchanges with at least $1 trillion in value. These are considered to be the world’s major stock exchanges. They include the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, Japan Exchange Group, Shanghai Stock Exchange and Hong Kong Stock Exchange. This group of 16 also includes the Euronext, London Stock Exchange, Shenzhen Stock Exchange, TMX Group and Bombay Stock Exchange. The last six major stock exchanges of this list are the National Stock Exchange of India, Australian Securities Exchange, Deutsche Borse, Six Suisse Exchange, Korea Exchange, Taiwan Stock Exchange and B3. Some exchanges are combined in a way that could make a place in this list, but they do not operate in that way. The Nasdaq Nordic Group is one example.
Commodity Exchanges
Some analysts classify commodity exchanges as stock markets. Some of the world’s largest commodities exchanges are the Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, United States Mercantile Exchange, United States International Monetary Financial Futures and Options Exchange, United States Metal Exchange, New York Mercantile Exchange, United States Commodity Exchange, PEG Commodity Exchange, HAUFEX Derivatives Financial Exchange and STER CAUFEX Derivatives Financial Exchange. However, these are usually categorized separately. Their trading values can rival those of the strictly classified stock markets.
United States Stock Markets
Some people only invest in United States stock markets. According to Investopedia, the largest stock market in the United States is the New York Stock Exchange, with more than $10 trillion in value. It was founded in 1792. The Nasdaq is the second-largest stock market in the United States. Its market capitalization is about half that of the New York Stock Exchange. The company that owns it also owns the Nasdaq Nordic Exchange. It has purchased the Boston Stock Exchange and the Philadelphia Stock Exchange in recent years.
Futures Exchanges
Another type of stock exchange or market is a futures exchange. These are usually categorized separately from traditional stock markets. A futures exchange involves the trading of securities futures. The largest United States futures exchanges include the Chicago Board Options Exchange, CME Group, Intercontinental Exchange, Minnesota Grain Exchange, Nadex, One Chicago and Nasdaq Futures Exchange. Some of the largest international futures exchanges include the BM&F Bovespa of Brazil, Montreal Exchange of Canada, China Financial Futures Exchange, Japan Exchange Group, Korea Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange.
None of the stock markets operate in isolation. When one of them falls precipitously or sees big gains, chances are that there will be a ripple effect in the other markets or exchanges. Many investors partake in more than one of the markets in order to hedge their losses and diversify their assets. Understanding the answer to, “How many stock markets are there?” helps a person gain a better level of knowledge about all of the investment opportunities.
