Top 10 Largest Stock Exchanges in the World

With the rise of the global economy, stock exchanges have become major players. This is because they are at the center of a country’s financial system. Stock exchanges are where stocks and securities are bought and sold in an organized exchange. While there are many different types of stock exchanges, this article will focus on the top 10 largest stock exchanges in the world.

Today, stock exchanges take on a variety of roles including raising capital, providing markets for securities listings, and holding assets. As technology continues to change the way we live, these top 10 largest stock exchanges will continue to play a key role in how we conduct business.

 

The New York Stock Exchange

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the largest and most well-known stock exchange in the world. The NYSE is continuously expanding with more than 2,800 listings. It's also the largest securities market in the world by market capitalization of $26.2 trillion. This is because it’s home to many large US companies like Coca-Cola, Disney, Exxon Mobil and McDonald’s.

The NYSE offers its members an opportunity to trade on a global scale with listings across more than 24 countries including Germany, Japan, Mexico, Switzerland and Turkey. Members can trade stocks in precious metals like silver and gold or they can trade commodities like corn, cotton or wheat.

NASDAQ

Next on our list of biggest stock exchanges in the world is NASDAQ, which stands for National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations. It is also based in New York City and has a market cap of over $15 trillion – this includes all its listed equities as well as its global index group, which includes 100 global indices across multiple asset classes and geographies.

 

In 1971, NASDAQ became the world's first electronic stock exchange by launching its computer-assisted trading system called CATS (Computer Assisted Trading System). Today, NASDAQ is owned by Nasdaq Inc., which also owns eight European exchanges with over 2,500 listings.

Tokyo Stock Exchange

The Tokyo Stock Exchange, or TSE, is located in Tokyo and is the third-largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization and fourth-largest by trading volume. The TSE has been operating since 1878 and today has more than 2,300 listed companies with a combined market capitalization of over $5.67 trillion as of 2019.

London Stock Exchange

The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is Europe's largest exchange by capitalization and ranked fifth around the world with a market capitalization of over $3.8 trillion as of December 2021. The LSE was founded in 2007 and has more than 3,000 listed companies.

Shanghai Stock Exchange

The Shanghai Stock Exchange is a stock exchange that is based in the city of Shanghai, China. It is one of the two stock exchanges operating independently in the People's Republic of China, the other being the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Shanghai Stock Exchange is the world's 4th largest stock market by market capitalization at US$5.1 trillion as of April 2018, and has a total market capitalization of US$7.6 trillion as of July 2021.

The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong

It is a leading global market infrastructure, connecting investors, issuers and financial intermediaries in China and around the world.

The Group's equity market is the second largest in Asia by market capitalization (HK$47 trillion) as of 2020. It has over 2,538 listed companies drawn from more than ten economies across Asia, Europe and North America. The Group also operates the third largest stock futures market in the world.

The Group provides an extensive range of China-related financial products including offshore renminbi products as well as access to Mainland China markets via its various cross-market data feeds, brokerage services and trading links.

Shenzhen Stock Exchange

Shenzhen Stock Exchange is one of China's three stock exchanges, alongside the Shanghai Stock Exchange and Hong Kong Stock Exchange. It is based in the Futian district of Shenzhen, Guangdong, and is a non-profit legal entity directly under the supervision of China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC).

The exchange opened on December 1, 1990. It has a market capitalization of around $3.90 trillion in July 2021.

Japan Exchange Group

Japan Exchange Group began its operations on 1 January 2001 as a holding company of Tokyo Stock Exchange and Osaka Securities Exchange. The merger created the world's third largest exchange by cash trading volume and one of the world's largest in terms of market capitalization (1.13 trillion). The number of listed companies on TSE increased from 2,100 to 2,292 in total as a result of the integration.

Euronext

Euronext operates regulated and transparent equity and derivatives markets and is the largest center for debt and funds listings in the world. Its total product offering includes Equities, Exchange Traded Funds, Warrants & Certificates, Bonds, Derivatives, Commodities and Indices. Euronext also leverages its expertise in running markets by providing technology and managed services to third parties. In December 2021, it had nearly 2,000 listed issuers worth €6.9 trillion in market capitalisation.

National Stock Exchange of India

National Stock Exchange of India is a stock exchange located in Mumbai, India. It is among the largest stock exchanges in Asia, and the largest in India with a market capitalization of US$3.4 trillion, as of August 2021. The NSE was established in 1992 as the first demutualized electronic exchange in the country. NSE was the first exchange in India to provide a modern, fully automated screen-based electronic trading system which offered easy trading facility to investors spread across the length and breadth of the country.

TMX Group

TMX Group’s key subsidiaries operate cash and derivative markets and clearinghouses for multiple asset classes including equities, fixed income and energy. Toronto Stock Exchange, TSX Venture Exchange, TSX Alpha Exchange, The Canadian Depository for Securities, Montréal Exchange, Canadian Derivatives Clearing Corporation, Trayport and other TMX Group companies provide listing markets, trading markets, clearing facilities, depository services, data products and other services to the global financial community. As of March 2022 TMX Group has a market cap of $7.56 Billion.

What are the five largest stock exchanges in the world?

In terms of market cap, these are the five largest stock exchanges:


Stock Exchange

Market Cap in  $ trillion (As of 2021)

New York Stock Exchange

26.2

NASDAQ 

15

Shanghai Stock Exchange

7.6

Tokyo Stock Exchange

5.67

London Stock Exchange

3.8