In 2025, stock markets in the United States accounted for roughly 49 percent of world stocks. The next largest country by stock market share was China, followed by the European Union as a whole. 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 75 countries was 1225.97 billion U.S. dollars. The highest value was in the USA: 40297.98 billion U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Bermuda: 0.21 billion U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1975 to 2024. 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 almost 36 trillion U.S. dollars as of June 2025. The following three exchanges were the NASDAQ, PINK Exchange, and the Frankfurt Exchange. 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.

In 2024, the Nikkei 225 index closed at 39,894.54 points. The index surpassed a 34-year-old record in February and reached a new all-time high in July 2024. The Nikkei 225 is a price-weighted stock market index that has been calculated by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) newspaper since 1950. It comprises 225 constituents listed on the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

As of 2025, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange was the oldest existing stock exchange, having been in operation for 440 years. The youngest major exchange at this time was the Korea Exchange, which has been in operation for 20 years. Note these values refer to stock market operators, meaning historical exchanges in places like as the Amsterdam or Paris are counted from the founding of the Euronext, not from when the original stock exchange was founded in that city.

As of March 2025, the largest stock exchange in Europe was the Euronext, with a total market capitalization of around 5.83 trillion U.S. dollars. Euronext was formed in 2000, and is a pan-European stock exchange seated in Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin London, Lisbon Paris and Oslo. In 2021, Euronext added the Milan Stock Exchange, which was previously operated by the LSE Group.

Market capitalization of World jumped by 11.21% from 102,923,059,370,000.0 US dollars in 2023 to 114,462,421,710,000.0 US dollars in 2024. Since the 15.77% drop in 2022, market capitalization shot up by 22.37% in 2024. Market capitalization (also known as market value) is the share price times the number of shares outstanding. Listed domestic companies are the domestically incorporated companies listed on the country's stock exchanges at the end of the year. Listed companies does not include investment companies, mutual funds, or other collective investment vehicles.

View data of the S&P 500, an index of the stocks of 500 leading companies in the US economy, which provides a gauge of the U.S. equity market.

Graph and download economic data for Stock Market Total Value Traded to GDP for United States (DDDM02USA156NWDB) from 1975 to 2019 about market cap, stock market, trade, GDP, and USA.

United Kingdom's main stock market index, the GB100, fell to 9636 points on October 27, 2025, losing 0.10% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has climbed 3.62% and is up 16.30% compared to the same time last year, 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 October of 2025.

New York Stock Exchange: Index: Dow Jones US Large Cap Total Stock Market Index data was reported at 12,988.120 NA in Apr 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 13,072.870 NA for Mar 2025. New York Stock Exchange: Index: Dow Jones US Large Cap Total Stock Market Index data is updated monthly, averaging 6,845.950 NA from Aug 2013 (Median) to Apr 2025, with 141 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14,146.240 NA in Jan 2025 and a record low of 3,846.950 NA in Aug 2013. New York Stock Exchange: Index: Dow Jones US Large Cap Total Stock Market Index data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Exchange Data International Limited. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.EDI.SE: New York Stock Exchange: Dow Jones: Monthly.

The DAX is a stock market index composed of the 40 major German blue chip companies trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. At the close of 2024, the DAX (Deutscher Aktienindex) closed at 19,909.04 points. This was the highest closing value of the observed period.What is the DAX index? The DAX is the most important stock index in Germany. It was introduced on July 1, 1988 and is a continuation of the Börsen-Zeitung Index, established in 1959. The DAX index is comprised of 40 largest and most liquid German companies such as Deutsche Bank, Allianz or Bayer. These companies are traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, which is the oldest exchange worldwide. The index can be viewed as a snapshot of the investment climate in Germany. What is not included in the DAX? Most notably, the DAX, like most indices, is not adjusted for inflation. While inflation has been relatively low in recent years, it might be useful to adjust the historic figures on the index when comparing historic data to current levels. This is particularly important for years when the index appears to increase by a few percentage points, because inflation may have increased at a more rapid rate than the stock prices.

Japan's main stock market index, the JP225, rose to 50413 points on October 27, 2025, gaining 2.26% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has climbed 11.92% and is up 30.58% compared to the same time last year, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from Japan. Japan Stock Market Index (JP225) - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on October of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Number of Listed Companies for United States (DDOM01USA644NWDB) from 1975 to 2019 about companies, stock market, and USA.

China's main stock market index, the SHANGHAI, rose to 3950 points on October 24, 2025, gaining 0.71% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has climbed 2.52% and is up 19.72% compared to the same time last year, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from China. China Shanghai Composite Stock Market Index - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on October of 2025.

New York Stock Exchange: Index: Dow Jones US Internet Index data was reported at 4,385.720 NA in Apr 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4,387.880 NA for Mar 2025. New York Stock Exchange: Index: Dow Jones US Internet Index data is updated monthly, averaging 4,444.000 NA from Mar 2024 (Median) to Apr 2025, with 14 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5,538.820 NA in Jan 2025 and a record low of 4,043.390 NA in Apr 2024. New York Stock Exchange: Index: Dow Jones US Internet Index data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Exchange Data International Limited. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.EDI.SE: New York Stock Exchange: Dow Jones: Monthly.

Oil prices dropped today due to concerns over the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in oil supply. However, the approval of vaccines and discussions of production cuts provide some hope for a potential recovery in the future.

Israel's main stock market index, the TA-125, fell to 3310 points on October 27, 2025, losing 0.02% from the previous session. Over the past month, the index has climbed 4.71% and is up 52.34% compared to the same time last year, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from Israel. Israel Stock Market (TA-125) - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on October of 2025.

The statistic presents the annual development of the CAC 40 index from 1995 to 2024. CAC 40 is the leading indicator of the French stock market. In 1995, the year-end value of the CAC 40 index amounted to 1,872 and reached 7,380.74 as of December 2024.

Twelve Data is a technology-driven company that provides financial market data, financial tools, and dedicated solutions. Large audiences - from individuals to financial institutions - use our products to stay ahead of the competition and success.

At Twelve Data we feel responsible for where the markets are going and how people are able to explore them. Coming from different technological backgrounds, we see how the world is lacking the unique and simple place where financial data can be accessed by anyone, at any time. This is what distinguishes us from others, we do not only supply the financial data but instead, we want you to benefit from it, by using the convenient format, tools, and special solutions.

We believe that the human factor is still a very important aspect of our work and therefore our ethics guides us on how to treat people, with convenient and understandable resources. This includes world-class documentation, human support, and dedicated solutions.