The main stock market index In the Euro Area (EU50) increased 521 points or 10.65% since the beginning of 2025, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from Euro Area. Euro Area Stock Market Index (EU50) - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on March of 2025.

Prices for Euro Area Stock Market Index (EU600) including live quotes, historical charts and news. Euro Area Stock Market Index (EU600) was last updated by Trading Economics this March 19 of 2025.

While nearly every country in Europe has a stock exchange, only five are considered major, and have a market capital of over one trillion U.S dollars. European stock exchanges make up two of the top ten global major stock markets. Europe’s biggest stock exchange is the Euronext which combines five markets based in Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Lisbon, London, Oslo and Paris. Euronext The Euronext Stock Exchange saw a significant increase in total market capitalization between 2021 and 2022, before increasing again during 2023. As of March 2024, the luxury goods company LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton was the largest company listed on the Euronext Stock Exchange in terms of market capitalization. Globally, the Euronext Stock Exchange is the fourth largest. London Stock Exchange The London Stock Exchange (LSE) was the second largest stock exchange in Europe and ninth globally in terms of market capitalization of domestic listed companies. As of May 2024, there were 1,775 companies trading on the LSE with the LSE's combined market capitalization amounting to approximately 3.86 trillion British pounds during the same period.

Prices for Euro Area Stock Market Index (Euronext 100) including live quotes, historical charts and news. Euro Area Stock Market Index (Euronext 100) was last updated by Trading Economics this March 27 of 2025.

As of January 29, 2025, the FTSE index stood at 8,557.81 points - well above its average value of around 7,500 points in the past few years.On the 12th of March 2020, amid the escalating crisis surrounding the coronavirus and fears of a global recession, the FTSE 100 suffered the second largest one day crash in its history and the biggest since the 1987 market crash. On the 23rd of March, the FTSE index saw its lowest value this year to date at 4,993.89 but has since began a tentative recovery. With the continuation of the pandemic, the FTSE 100 index was making a tentative recovery between late March 2020 and early June 2020. Since then the FSTE 100 index had plateaued towards the end of July, before starting a tentative upward trend in November. FTSE 100 The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index, otherwise known as the FTSE 100 Index is a share index of the 100 largest companies trading on the London Stock Exchange in terms of market capitalization. At the end of March 2024, the largest company trading on the LSE was Shell. The largest ever initial public offering (IPO) on the LSE was Glencore International plc. European stock exchanges While nearly every country in Europe has a stock exchange, only five are considered major, and have a market capital of over one trillion U.S dollars. European stock exchanges make up two of the top ten major stock markets in the world. Europe’s biggest stock exchange is the Euronext which combines seven markets based in Belgium, France, England, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal.

In 2024, stock markets in the United States accounted for roughly 60 percent of world stocks. The next largest country by stock market share was Japan, followed by the United Kingdom. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the NASDAQ are the largest stock exchange operators worldwide. What is a stock exchange? The first modern publicly traded company was the Dutch East Industry Company, which sold shares to the general public to fund expeditions to Asia. Since then, groups of companies have formed exchanges in which brokers and dealers can come together and make transactions in one space. Stock market indices group companies trading on a given exchange, giving an idea of how they evolve in real time. Appeal of stock ownership Over half of adults in the United States are investing money in the stock market. Stocks are an attractive investment because the possible return is higher than offered by other financial instruments.

The average for 2022 based on 14 countries was 21.93 percent. The highest value was in Germany: 68.41 percent and the lowest value was in Luxembourg: 0.09 percent. The indicator is available from 1975 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2020 based on 6 countries was 48.78 percent. The highest value was in Cyprus: 64.3 percent and the lowest value was in Croatia: 27.66 percent. The indicator is available from 1998 to 2020. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the largest stock exchange in the world, with an equity market capitalization of just below 32 trillion U.S. dollars as of January 2025. The following three exchanges were the NASDAQ, Shanghai Stock Exchange, and the Japan Exchange Group. What is a stock exchange? A stock exchange is a marketplace where stockbrokers, traders, buyers, and sellers can trade in equities products. The largest exchanges have thousands of listed companies. These companies sell shares of their business, giving the general public the opportunity to invest in them. The oldest stock exchange worldwide is the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, founded in the late sixteenth century. Other functions of a stock exchange Since these are publicly traded companies, every firm listed on a stock exchange has had an initial public offering (IPO). The largest IPOs can raise billions of dollars in equity for the firm involved. Related to stock exchanges are derivatives exchanges, where stock options, futures contracts, and other derivatives can be traded.

The total market capitalization of all companies trading on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) has taken a large hit during the early months of 2020, due mostly part to a mass sell-off of shares caused by the fears surrounding the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Between December 2019 and March 2020, the total value of market capitalization decreased by more than 900 billion British pounds (GBP). The overall number of companies currently trading has also fallen, although the number of daily trades spiked in March 2020. As of December 2024, the total market value of all companies trading on the London Stock Exchange stood at over 3.52 trillion British pounds. European stock exchanges While almost every country has a stock Exchange, in Europe only 5 exchanges are considered major, with total market capital amounting to over one trillion euros. The London Stock Exchange is the second largest in Europe and ninth largest worldwide. As of December 2024, Europe’s largest stock exchange, Euronext had a total market capital of listed companies valued at approximately 6.44 trillion U.S. dollars.

While the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic caused all major stock market indices to fall sharply in March 2020, both the extent of the decline at this time, and the shape of the subsequent recovery, have varied greatly. For example, on March 15, 2020, major European markets and traditional stocks in the United States had shed around 40 percent of their value compared to January 5, 2020. However, Asian markets and the NASDAQ Composite Index only shed around 20 to 25 percent of their value. A similar story can be seen with the post-coronavirus recovery. As of November 14, 2021 the NASDAQ composite index value was around 65 percent higher than in January 2020, while most other markets were only between 20 and 40 percent higher.

Why did the NASDAQ recover the quickest?

Based in New York City, the NASDAQ is famously considered a proxy for the technology industry as many of the world’s largest technology industries choose to list there. And it just so happens that technology was the sector to perform the best during the coronavirus pandemic. Accordingly, many of the largest companies who benefitted the most from the pandemic such as Amazon, PayPal and Netflix, are listed on the NADSAQ, helping it to recover the fastest of the major stock exchanges worldwide.

Which markets suffered the most?

The energy sector was the worst hit by the global COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, oil companies share prices suffered large declines over 2020 as demand for oil plummeted while workers found themselves no longer needing to commute, and the tourism industry ground to a halt. In addition, overall share prices in two major stock exchanges – the London Stock Exchange (as represented by the FTSE 100 index) and Hong Kong (as represented by the Hang Seng index) – have notably recovered slower than other major exchanges. However, in both these, the underlying issue behind the slower recovery likely has more to do with political events unrelated to the coronavirus than it does with the pandemic – namely Brexit and general political unrest, respectively.

This statistic shows the largest global stock exchanges globally as of October 2024, ranked by the value of electronic order book share trading. In that time, the NASDAQ Stock Market was the largest stock exchange worldwide, with the value of EOB shares traded amounting to 2.6 trillion U.S. dollars. Stock exchanges - additional information Stock exchanges are an important part of the free market economic system and are the most important component of the stock market. A stock exchange provides the setting in which stock brokers, sellers, buyers and traders can be brought together to take part in the sale of shares, bonds, derivatives and other securities. The core function of a stock exchange is to enable the fair and orderly trading, as well as the provision of price information of any securities being traded on that exchange. Originally the exchanges were physical places (in some world locations the goods are still traded over-the-counter) but with time, they took the shape of an electronic platform. In order that company shares may be bought, traded and sold on a stock exchange, the company is required to have undergone an initial public offering process (IPO) on that particular exchange. The initial public offering of Alibaba Group Holding, a Chinese company operating in the e-commerce sector, on the New York Stock Exchange in September 2014, was the largest listing in the United States since 1996. The IPO of Alibaba Group Holding raised approximately 21.77 billion U.S. dollars.

In the first quarter of 2020, global stock indices posted substantial losses that were triggered by the outbreak of COVID-19. The period from March 6 to 18 was particularly dramatic, with several stock indices losing more than 20 percent of their value.

Worldwide panic hits markets From the United States to the United Kingdom, stock market indices suffered steep falls as the coronavirus pandemic created economic uncertainty. The Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 are two indices that track company performance in the United States, and both lost value as lockdowns were introduced in the country. European markets also recorded significant slumps, which triggered panic selling among investors. The FTSE 100 – the leading share index of companies in the UK – plunged by as much as 21 percent in the opening weeks of March 2020.

Is it time to invest in tech stocks? The S&P 500 is regarded as the best representation of the U.S. economy because it includes more companies from the leading industries. However, helped in no small part by its focus on tech companies, the Nasdaq 100 has risen in popularity and seen remarkable growth in recent years. Global demand for digital technologies has increased further due to the coronavirus, with remote working and online shopping becoming part of the new normal. As a result, more investors are likely to switch to the tech stocks listed on the Nasdaq 100.

Long term dataset showing the daily Euro - British Pound (EURGBP) exchange rate back to 1999.

The main stock market index in Germany (DE40) increased 2823 points or 14.18% since the beginning of 2025, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from Germany. Germany Stock Market Index (DE40) - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on March of 2025.

The main stock market index in France (FR40) increased 650 points or 8.81% since the beginning of 2025, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from France. France Stock Market Index (FR40) - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on March of 2025.

The main stock market index in the United Kingdom (GB100) increased 479 points or 5.86% since the beginning of 2025, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from United Kingdom. United Kingdom Stock Market Index (GB100) - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on March of 2025.

Norway has the highest penetration of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) in Europe. Norway is one of the smallest car markets in the European free trade market: Norway's passenger car sales were around 127,000 units between January and December 2023. Some 114,100 plug-in electric cars were registered in 2023. One of the most popular car brands in the Scandinavian country is the American all-electric marque Tesla. Norway’s electric mobility policy Norway’s jump in electric mobility is due to the country’s high car import tolls being lifted for electric vehicles, with registration taxes also waived. Such incentives make an electric vehicle comparatively cheaper to the purchase of a combustion engine powered car. As of 2023, there were nearly 879,700 electric passenger cars on Norwegian roads. Leading EV models 2023 was a record year for electric vehicle sales in Europe. Topping the list of most-sold model of electric vehicles was the Tesla Model Y. European manufacturers have been sluggish to penetrate the EV market but are quickly emerging as key players. Germany-based Volkswagen, which recorded two of its models topping the EV sales in Europe, almost doubled its worldwide electric vehicle sales between 2020 and 2021. Foreign manufacturers, such as Tesla and Nissan still perform very well.

Since its introduction in October 2019, the Euro Short-Term Rate (€STR) has remained constant at between -0.51 and -0.59 percent until the second half 2022. Since then, it increased, peaking at 3.9 between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. As of January 2025, the rate stood at 2.92 percent. The €STR is an interest rate benchmark designed to replace the Euro OverNight Index Average (EOIA), adopting a different calculation methodology that returns significantly lower rates. It is intended that the EOIA will be discontinued from January 3, 2022. How is the Euro Short-Term Rate calculated? The €STR uses transaction data included in daily reporting on monetary exchanges from the 52 largest eurozone banks to calculate the average interests rate attached to loans throughout a business day. Only unsecured loans are included, as the rate on secured loans would be affected by the type of underlying collateral. Several key respects distinguish the €STR from alternative benchmarks like the EOIA, and the London Intrabank Offered Rate (LIBOR). First, the €STR is based on transaction data alone, whereas the LIBOR asking major banks directly what rate they would charge other banks for short terms loans. The second main difference is that, by considering money market transactions rather than only intrabank lending (like the EOIA and LIBOR), the €STR incorporates the role of other major actors like money market funds, insurance companies, and other financial corporations. Difference between €STR and EURIBOR The Euro Interbank Offered Rate (EURIBOR) is the other main reference interest rate governing eurozone lending. The EURIBOR differs from €STR though as it is based on a survey of the interest rates a panel of major banks would offer other major banks for interbank term deposits. There are therefore different reference rates published for different maturities, for example the EURIBOR one month rate, the EURIBOR six month rate, and the EURIBOR 12 month rate. In contrast, the €STR is intended to track the cost of overnight borrowing.

The main stock market index in Italy (IT40) increased 4872 points or 14.25% since the beginning of 2025, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from Italy. Italy Stock Market Index (IT40) - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on March of 2025.