• NASDAQ Stock Exchange

    NASDAQ Stock Exchange PictureAbout the NASDAQ Stock Exchange

    The National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations, more commonly known as “NASDAQ” is the largest United States stock exchange and second largest stock exchange worldwide. It has over 2,872 listings as of early 2011, and has a higher electronic trading value than any other exchange in the world. It deals in stocks, bonds, equities and other securities all via its electronic bulletin board interface. With a market capitalization of US $4.72 trillion in February 2011, the NASDAQ is well known for turning over huge amounts of securities internationally. It originally began trading on February 4, 1971 as the first electronic stock market, representing bid prices and asking prices on an electronic bulletin board that helped lower the spread (and thus popularity of NASDAQ itself, for a time). It’s located in New York City, but operates 8 other exchanges across Europe as well as an exchange in Dubai. In November of 2007, NASDAQ acquired the oldest American exchange, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange (PHLX) for US $662 million. It is currently believed that NASDAQ is pursuing an acquisition of the NYSE Euronext (NYSE) with the InterContinentalExchange company (ICE). NASDAQ’s aims would most likely be equities while ICE would focus on derivatives.

    NASDAQ Stock Exchange Hours

    The NASDAQ stock exchange has premarket sessions from 7:00am-9:30am ET, and from 9:30am-4:00pm it conducts normal trading. Following this beginning at 4:00pm and ending at 8:00pm are post market hour sessions.

    NASDAQ Stock Exchange Holidays

    The NASDAQ stock exxchange is open weekdays except for on the date of one of the several holidays it observes. Listed below is the holiday schedule for the 2011 year:

    Martin Luther King, Jr. Day- January 17th
    President’s Day- February 21st
    Tiradentes- April
    Good Friday- April 22nd
    Memorial Day- May 30th
    Independence Day- July 4th
    Labor Day- September 5th
    Thanksgiving Day- NOvember 24th
    Early Market Close- November 25th
    Christmas- December 25th

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