The main stock markets

All about the stock market

Thanks to Internet trading platforms, the stock market has become a vast global market open to both institutional and retail speculators. Find out who the main players are in the European and international stock markets, as well as the best tools for speculation.

The main stock markets in Europe and abroad

In Europe :

  • The London Stock Exchange is the world's largest stock exchange and the largest in Europe.
  • Euronext, which has existed since 2000 and is the result of the merger of major companies that managed the stock markets of Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels. In 2007 it joined forces with the NYSE.
  • The Frankfurt Stock Exchange, which is divided into different structures : General Standard, Prime Standard, Entry Standard.
  • Internationally : Created in 1972, the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) is now the world's leading stock market; it comprises 5 markets
  • The New York Stock Exchange, AMEX for small caps, ARCA for derivatives, ARCA Edge as well as LIFE US. Its headquarters are on Wall Street.
  • NASDAQ is the second largest in the world and has its own stock index. -The Tokyo market is currently the largest stock market player in Asia. What are the main tools for speculation? CFDs These are derivative products (CFDs = contracts for difference) designed to make trading (speculating on stock market indices) cheaper and easier. Even if you only have one CFD account, you can trade a wide range of current stocks (stock indexes, currencies, European and American stocks, metals, sugar, oil...), without taking too much risk. CFDs are suitable for higher leverage, while remaining accessible to smaller portfolios. *stock: a title of ownership from a corporation

Forex

This foreign exchange market (the Foreign Exchange or Forex) is primarily used to trade currency pairs. It is an efficient way for investors and speculators to buy and sell currency pairs. It is an OTC market in which profits are made based on the rise or fall in the value of one currency compared to another.

Crypto-currency

In a stock market context, the term "crypto" refers specifically to 100% virtual currency that is either magnetic or electronic. As this type of currency is encrypted, it can only be used by someone who has the code to decrypt the virtual currency.