stock exchange defination

stock exchange organized market for the trading of stocks and bonds (see bond ; stock ). Such markets were originally open to all, but at present only members of the owning association may buy and sell directly. Members, or stock brokers , buy and sell for themselves or for others, charging commissions for their services. A stock may be bought or sold only if it is listed on an exchange, and it may not be listed unless it meets certain requirements set by the exchange's board of governors. There are stock exchanges in all important financial centers of the world; the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, in nearly continuous operation since 1792), which had a trading volume of $7.3 trillion in 1998, is the largest in the world