The History of the NYSE
The New York Stock Exchange can be traced back to the early 1790s. During that time, twenty-four merchants and stock market brokers signed an agreement called that Buttonwood Agreement. This agreement is what started the essence of the NYSE. These earlier trading days saw merchants and brokers trading in the streets. The American Stock Exchange was originally referred to as the curb market for this reason. The very first day that the NYSE building was opened, there were almost twenty-thousand people who dropped by for a tour of the building. Because of the architecture and its symbol of the strength of the economy, people flocked to the NYSE building in order to get inside and take a look.
Since that time, hundreds or even thousands of companies have been listed with the New York Stock Exchange. During the earlier years, trading hours were very short. In 1952, the NYSE extended its trading hours by thirty minutes each day and dropped trading on Saturdays.
For more than 200 years, the NYSE has provided a place for brokers and merchants to get together and trade successfully. It is now one of the most crowded buildings in the world during its open hours. Thousands of brokers from all walks of life have visited the stock exchange building over the course of time. When the NYSE joined Euronext early in 2007, it became clear that the global financial markets would all unite. This union brought major marketplaces from Europe and the United States together to create a truly global marketplace.
The NYSE has significantly grown over the past few centuries. From its beginning with just twenty-four merchants to now encompassing thousands of companies in trades every day, there has been much change in the stock market and in trading around the world.
