History of the stock market.

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The early days

What founded this international trend of a cash-value exchange? Who created it? What was the reason? We shall turn to history to peer into the early, toddler days of the stock market. The oldest stock exchange that was formed in the world was the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, also known as the "Vereinigte Ostindische Compagnie" or VOC,  the year of establishment being 1602. It was established and founded by the Dutch East India Company. This company's records document the beginning of the first large trading company of its time. This company showed similar traits to the modern-day joint-stock operation as it began the journey of the stock market. This company's popularity spread like wildfire as it began it's spread through various countries.

The next most famous and older stock exchange company is the London Stock Exchange. This stock exchange had meager beginnings, simplistic and home-made from the year 1698. The original home to this business was a coffee house and it started when John Castaing began to issue and distribute a list of stock and commodity prices that were also known as "The Course of Exchange and other things." Finally in the year 1773 the brokers made their own building in Sweeting's Alley with a coffee shop on the first floor with the dealing room right on the ground floor of the new building. "New Jonathan's" was the original name of this business, but within a short period of time it was changed to "The Stock Exchange" by the members. After moving from the original building to Sweeting's Alley it made two more moves. The first was in the year 1972 to the Stock Exchange Tower located on Threadneedle Street and Old Broad Street after being reopened by Queen Elizabeth II. Their present location since the July of 2004 is in Paternoster Square.     

Another stock exchange business soon joined the repertoire of the stock market, the United State's own copy, the New York Stock Exchange that still is standing today. The idea of a stock market exchange was formed by a combination two dozen brokers and merchants in the year 1792. This small group decided to start to trade securities on a commission basis in the Buttonwood Agreement of 1792. Time based and in the year 1817 this small business became the formal organization known as the New York Stock & Exchange Board. It is now one of the most well-known stock exchanges in the world, especially in its home country, the United States of America.