Nasdaq

TheNasdaq Stock Market(/ˈnæzdæk/;National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) is an Americanstock exchangebased inNew York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the U.S. by volume,and ranked second on thelist of stock exchangesbymarket capitalizationof shares traded, behind theNew York Stock Exchange.The exchange platform is owned byNasdaq, Inc.(which the exchange also lists (ticker symbol NDAQ)),which also owns theNasdaq Nordicstockmarket networkand several U.S.-based stock andoptions exchanges. Although it trades stock of healthcare, financial, media, entertainment, retail, hospitality, and food businesses, it focuses more on technologystocks. The exchange is made up of both American and foreign firms, withChinaandIsraelbeing the largest foreign sources.
"Nasdaq" (originally and still commonly spelled with all-capital letters as "NASDAQ") was initially anacronymfor the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations.It was founded in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), now known as theFinancial Industry Regulatory Authority.On February 8, 1971, the NASDAQ stock market began operations as the world's first electronic stock market.At first, it was merely a "quotation system" and did not provide a way to perform electronic trades.
The NASDAQ Stock Market eventually assumed the majority of major trades that had been executed by theover-the-counter(OTC) system of trading, but there are still many securities traded in this manner. As late as 1987, the NASDAQ exchange was still commonly referred to as "OTC" in media reportsand also in the monthly Stock Guides (stock guides and procedures) issued byStandard & Poor'sCorporation.Over the years, it became more of a stock market by adding trade and volume reporting and automated trading systems. In 1981, NASDAQ traded 37% of the U.S. securities markets' total of 21 billion shares. By 1991, NASDAQ's share had grown to 46%.In 1992, the NASDAQ Stock Market joined with theLondon Stock Exchangeto form the first intercontinental linkage ofcapital markets.
In 1996, theSECissued a report alleging that NASDAQ market makersfixed pricesby avoiding "odd-eighths" quotes (at the time, stock prices were quoted in increments of an eighth of a dollar) to artificially widen spreads. The report was followed by a new set of rules for how NASDAQ handled orders.
In 1998, it became the first stock market in theUnited Statesto trade online, using the slogan "the stock market for the next hundred years".The NASDAQ Stock Market attracted many companies during thedot-com bubble.
Its main index is theNASDAQ Composite, which has been published since its inception. The QQQexchange-traded fundtracks the large-capNASDAQ-100index, which was introduced in 1985 alongside theNASDAQ Financial-100Index, which tracks the largest 100 companies in terms ofmarket capitalization.
On March 10, 2000, theNASDAQ Compositestock market index peaked at 5,132.52, but fell to 3,227 by April 17,and, in the following 30 months, fell 78% from its peak.
In a series of sales in 2000 and 2001, FINRA sold its stake in the NASDAQ. On July 2, 2002, NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. became apublic companyvia aninitial public offering.In 2006, the status of the NASDAQ Stock Market was changed from a stock market to a licensed national securities exchange.In 2007, it merged with OMX, a leading exchange operator in the Nordic countries, expanded its global footprint, and changed its name to the NASDAQ OMX Group.
To qualify for listing on the exchange, a company must be registered with theUnited States Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC), must have at least threemarket makers(financial firms that act as brokers or dealers for specific securities) and must meet minimum requirements for assets, capital, public shares, and shareholders.
In February 2011, in the wake of an announced merger ofNYSE EuronextwithDeutsche Börse, speculation developed that NASDAQ OMX andIntercontinental Exchange(ICE) could mount a counter-bid of their own for NYSE. NASDAQ OMX could belooking to acquire the American exchange's cash equities business, ICE thederivativesbusiness. At the time, "NYSE Euronext's market value was $9.75 billion. NASDAQ was valued at $5.78 billion, while ICE was valued at $9.45 billion."Late in the month, NASDAQ was reported to be considering asking either ICE or theChicago Mercantile Exchangeto join in what would probably have to be, if it proceeded, an $11–12 billion counterbid.
In December 2005, NASDAQ acquiredInstinetfor $1.9 billion, retaining theInetECN and subsequently selling the agency brokerage business toSilver Lake Partnersand Instinet management.
The European Association of Securities Dealers Automatic Quotation System (EASDAQ) was founded as a European equivalent to the NASDAQ Stock Market. It was purchased by NASDAQ in 2001 and became NASDAQ Europe. In 2003, operations were shut down as a result of the burst of thedot-com bubble.In 2007, NASDAQ Europe was revived first as Equiduct and was acquired byBörse Berlinlater that year.
On June 18, 2012, NASDAQ OMX became a founding member of the United NationsSustainable Stock Exchanges Initiativeon the eve of theUnited Nations Conference on Sustainable Development(Rio+20).
In November 2016, chief operating officerAdena Friedmanwas promoted tochief executive officer, becoming the first woman to run a major exchange in the U.S.
In 2016, Nasdaq earned $272 million in listings-related revenues.
In October 2018, the SEC ruled that theNew York Stock Exchangeand Nasdaq did not justify the continued price increases when sellingmarket data.
In December 2020, NASDAQ announced that it would strip its indexes of four Chinese companies in response toExecutive Order 13959.
In September 2024, theEuropean Commissionsaid it had carried out an unannounced inspection at the offices of Nasdaq over potentialanti-competitive practices.
Nasdaq 100 futures are traded on theCME(Chicago Mercantile Exchange) while its derivatives, E-Mini Nasdaq 100 and Micro E-Mini Nasdaq 100 futures are traded on the EMiniCME. Below are the contract specifications for the Nasdaq 100 and derivatives.
Nasdaq quotes are available at three levels:
The Nasdaq Stock Market sessions, with times in theEastern Time Zoneare:
7:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.:extended-hours tradingsession (premarket)
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.: normal trading session
4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.: extended-hours trading session (postmarket)
The Nasdaq Stock Market averages about 253trading daysper year.
The Nasdaq Stock Market has three different market tiers:
After the NYSE, Nasdaq is the second largest stock exchange in the United States with a market capitalization of $19 trillion, which is about $5.5 trillion less than the NYSE as of 2021.Nasdaq is a much younger organization than the NYSE, having been founded in just 1971.In addition to age and market capitalization, there are other key differences between the two exchanges: