This page contains information and links about NASDAQ, its business and initiatives. Members of the media with additional questions may contact NASDAQ Corporate Communications.
Since its debut in 1971 as the world’s first electronic stock market, The NASDAQ Stock Market‚ has been at the forefront of innovation, using technology to bring millions of investors together with the world’s leading companies.
Today, NASDAQ is the largest U.S. electronic stock market. With over 3,200 companies, it lists more companies and, on average, trades more shares per day than any other U.S. market. It is home to companies that are leaders across all areas of business including technology, retail, communications, financial services, transportation, media and biotechnology. NASDAQ is the primary market for trading NASDAQ-listed stocks.
NASDAQ to acquire Boston Stock Exchange and Key Assets 10/2/2007
NASDAQ Press Release
Boston Stock Exchange Press Release
NASDAQ Transaction Services Fact Sheet
NASDAQ/BSE Structure Chart
NASDAQ with Bourse Dubai and OMX Takes Leadership to Create Unique Global Exchange Platform 09/20/2007
Press Release
Investor Presentation and Other Deal-related Information
Archive
NASDAQ Announces New Market Tier with Highest Listing Standards In the World: NASDAQ Global Select
On February 15, 2006 NASDAQ announced its plans to create a new market tier for public companies that will have the highest initial listing standards in the world. The standards for the new “NASDAQ Global Select Market” will have financial and liquidity requirements that are higher than those of any other market.
Exchange Registration
NASDAQ Completes Acquisition of Instinet
In December of 2005, NASDAQ announced its completion of the acquisition of the INET ECN, designed to provide NASDAQ with a technologically superior trading platform, enhance NASDAQ’s ability to compete with U.S. and international market centers, and generate significant savings through technology. Click here for more information about this transaction
Dual Listing /Switches
In January of 2004, NASDAQ announced its dual listing initiative and concurrently the decision of six New York Stock Exchange companies to dually list their stock on NASDAQ and the NYSE. The six companies, the first to list on both markets under this program, were Apache Corporation, Cadence Design Systems, The Charles Schwab Corporation, Countrywide Financial, Hewlett-Packard and Walgreens.
Market Structure
The SEC is considering changes in market structure to enhance and modernize the existing national market system (Reg. NMS for short) rules adopted under Section 11A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The links below provide background on NASDAQ’s position and highlight the major issues addressed by the SEC’s proposed Regulation NMS.
The NASDAQ Market Center
The NASDAQ Market Center,SM launched in March 2004, incorporates all of NASDAQ’s trading systems on one fast and functionality-driven system and trades NASDAQ, NYSE, AMEX-listed securities and ETFs on single electronic platform.
The Opening Cross
The opening process, which was launched in September of 2004, builds on the success of NASDAQ's new closing process -- The Closing Cross. The new opening process leverages NASDAQ's speed, access, and market structure to provide a transparent single opening price in NASDAQ securities.
The Closing Cross
Since its launch in April of 2004, the Closing Cross is NASDAQ’s innovative price discovery facility for market close. The Closing Cross provides the most accurate, transparent and consistent closing price available for NASDAQ-listed securities and allows everyone to use that insight to meet their trading and investment needs.
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Market Quality
SEC Rule 11Ac-5 requires all market centers to report uniform trading statistics. NASDAQ's open, competitive, electronic market structure provides a fair and efficient marketplace for companies and investors.
- NASDAQ’s electronic market has no specialists. Instead, NASDAQ operates a system, which includes approximately 300 market makers who compete in NASDAQ stocks.
- On NASDAQ, orders are not in one central position; but are spread over many market makers
- The average number of market makers in a given NASDAQ security is over 15.
- On average, there are 67 market makers for NASDAQ-listed S&P 500 stocks.
- In the most active NASDAQ stocks, no market maker handles more than 3-5% of business in one stock at any time.
- NASDAQ Performance Report
- Market Structure Bulletin
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Corporate Governance
Since the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) was enacted, dramatic changes in how companies are governed have taken place. NASDAQ is committed to good governance and is focused on restoring investor trust in the quality and integrity of the information that fuels our stock market.
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NASDAQ Company Finder Search NASDAQ-listed companies by name, symbol and location. 
