Nasdaq Economic Institute: Independent Insights, Industry Impact
Independent research, data-driven analysis, and forward-looking perspectives on the forces shaping global capital markets — from macroeconomic shifts to the digital transformation of finance.
New from the Institute
Economic Opportunity Index
Explore a new data-driven framework from the Nasdaq Economic Institute and Oxford Economics that assesses the conditions that enable innovation-led growth in economies around the world. Built around five pillars, the index is designed to identify leading signals of growth and innovation before they appear in traditional economic indicators.
Economic Opportunity Index Whitepaper Economic Opportunity Index DataFeatured Insights
Unlocking Financial Markets: Understanding The Role of Data in a Digital Economy
Discover the role exchange data plays in supporting price discovery, transparency, risk management, and innovation across the broader financial ecosystem.
Read the ReportDoes Order Protection Matter? Data Says Yes!
Explore the implications of OPR, and what eliminations might mean for spreads and the NBBO.
Read the ArticleNew Fast Tracks Account for Older Company IPOs
Learn why fast-tracking very large IPOs is helping indexes better represent all the public companies that matter to the economy and the stock market.
Read the ArticleOptions 101: How the U.S. Options Market Really Works
Options trading has become increasingly popular in recent years. Discover what options are and how options markets work.
Read the ArticleExecutive Perspectives
AI Economy
The Search for New Measures of Value in the AI Era
Explore one of the most pressing questions facing investors, analysts, and software leaders today: How do we measure value when AI fundamentally changes what software does?
Read the ArticleAI Is Enabling More Entrepreneurship
The data is clear: AI is rewriting the economics of entrepreneurship, and Americans are responding in record numbers. Explore how new business applications have accelerated, and why the timing lines up almost perfectly with the rapid improvement in generative AI tools and the arrival of agentic coding.
Read the ArticleGuardrails and Growth: AI’s Role in Capital and Insurance Markets
Nasdaq Co-President Tal Cohen testified before the U.S Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs to discuss the potential of AI within capital and insurance markets, highlighting Nasdaq's long-standing commitment to innovative technology and emphasizing its responsible integration of AI since its founding as the first electronic exchange.
Read the TestimonyTokenization
Tokenization and the Future of Securities
Executive Vice President and Global Chief Legal, Risk and Regulatory Officer John Zecca testifies before the House Financial Services Committee about tokenization and the modernization of U.S. capital markets.
Read the TestimonyMaking the Case for Tokenized Collateral
A global report from Nasdaq and the ValueExchange surveys firms on their tokenization plans, the impact to capital efficiency, the realities of institutionalization and how the industry can move forward.
Read the ReportTokens: Everything, Everywhere, All at Once?
Chief Economist Phil Mackintosh explores how tokens can be many different things.
Read the ArticleMarket Modernization
Kevin Kennedy, EVP and Head of North American Market Services Read the TestimonyI can tell you what is most important to Nasdaq. Investor protection is number one - institutional-grade guardrails and working with the industry to build them for always-on trading.
Economic Perspectives
IPO Pulse
Solid IPO Activity Still Likely into Early 2027
Renewed disruptions cooled Q3 IPO counts, but $146B raised YTD already tops 2021's record — and the Nasdaq IPO Pulse signals more room to run into 2027.
Market Structure
Financial Industry Trends
Inspiring Collective Action in a New Era of Evolving Threats
Discover how financial crime has entered a new era defined by AI-powered threats, industrialized fraud, and criminal networks operating with the scale and coordination of multinational corporations.
Read the ReportThe New Growth Imperative: Cutting Through Complexity in the Financial System
Uncover the cost of complexity across the financial system and gain fresh perspectives on how institutions can adapt to the exponential growth of complexity while minimizing internal complicatedness and friction.
Read the ReportSharper Signals. Delivered.
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