New York Stock Exchange Overview: The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is today actually the principal subsidiary of a holding company called NYSE Euronext, which owns and operates 12 exchanges in 5 countries.
The NYSE has seen its proportion of total trading volume in the U.S. securities markets steadily erode over the years, as NASDAQ has become a more formidable competitor. In part, the increased sophistication of NASDAQ has diminished the NYSE's status as the trading venue of choice for major corporations, from the standpoint of investors and corporations alike. Additionally, the NYSE's ability to exercise a virtual monopoly on the trading of listed shares (that is, stocks listed for trading on the NYSE by the corporations issuing them) has been broken by federal regulation. Today, a significant percentage of trading in listed shares takes place "off-board," or away from the NYSE trading floor.
Despite these challenges, the NYSE still remains the most prestigious and most-watched securities market in the world, still a major player in the international economy.
