Nasdaq

The Nasdaq stock exchange arguably invented electronic trading, making it a key part of fintech history. It's often used as a benchmark for how the tech industry is performing.

Totaling a market capitalization of $106T (as of 2023), this map identifies the major stock exchanges worldwide on a map, ranking them by total market value. Nearly half of that value is located in the Americas.

However, the Nasdaq sometimes surpasses the NYSE in terms of the total market cap of all the companies listed on each exchange. For instance, as of late April 2026, the Nasdaq's roughly 4,000 listed companies had a total market cap of about $44T, while the NYSE's roughly 2,300 companies' total market cap was around $38T.

The two largest stock exchanges in the world by market cap of their listed companies have many key differences, including the number of companies listed on each exchange (the NYSE has fewer companies than the Nasdaq), their perceived volatility (the Nasdaq is perceived as more volatile), and more.

This index was created in 1985, over a decade after the Nasdaq first launched. The companies on the index must meet certain criteria, including having a minimum average daily trading value of $5M.

These seven companies are Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla. They're often responsible for over 40% of the Nasdaq 100 index's gains, but the exact percentage varies from year to year.

The partnership became the first intercontinental linkage between capital markets, setting the stage for worldwide trading amidst increasing globalization. Nasdaq separated from its parent company in 2006, becoming a fully independent licensed national securities exchange. A year later, added the Scandinavian-based Exchange, OMX.

The current maximum annual listing fee for companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange was $500K as of early 2026. The maximum annual listing fee for companies listed in Nasdaq's top tier, on the other hand, was of $193K. Companies listed must pay these fees each year.

A stock index measures the performance of selected companies, offering a snapshot of market trends. Examples include the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq Composite.

Between 1995 and 2000, the Nasdaq Composite index jumped from roughly 1,000 to 5,000 amid excitement over new Internet companies. As venture capitalists dumped money into startups, those same companies struggled to turn a profit, leading to a bubble. The Nasdaq wouldn't reach its former high until 2015.