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As of December 31, 2024, 4,075 companies listed securities on Nasdaq, including 1,383 listings on The Nasdaq Global Select Market, 1,366 on The Nasdaq Global Market, and 1,326 on The Nasdaq Capital Market.[5]
Nasdaq, Inc. was founded in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), which is now known as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).[7] "Nasdaq" (originally and still commonly spelled with all-capital letters as "NASDAQ") was initially an acronym for the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations.[8] On February 8, 1971, the Nasdaq Stock Market commenced operations as the world's first fully electronic stock market.[7] Initially, Nasdaq served as a "quotation system" rather than a platform for electronic trading.[9]Intel Corporation was one of the first major corporations to list its shares on Nasdaq; other major companies that have been listed on Nasdaq since its early years include Comcast and Applied Materials.[10]
Since the launch of Nasdaq, many major companies trading on the over-the-counter (OTC) market began switching to Nasdaq. As late as 1987, the Nasdaq exchange was still commonly referred to as "OTC" in media reports[11] and also in the monthly Stock Guides issued by Standard & Poor's Corporation.[12] Over the years, it became more of a stock market with the addition of trade and volume reporting and automated trading systems. In 1981, Nasdaq traded 37% of the U.S. securities markets' total of 21 billion shares. By 1991, Nasdaq's share had grown to 46%.[13] In 1992, the Nasdaq Stock Market joined with the London Stock Exchange to form the first intercontinental linkage of capital markets.[14]
In 1996, the SEC issued a report alleging that Nasdaq market makers fixed prices by avoiding "odd-eighths" quotes (at the time, stock prices were quoted in increments of an eighth of a dollar) to artificially widen spreads. The report was followed by a new set of rules for how Nasdaq handled orders.[15]: 102, 126
In 1998, it became the first stock market in the United States to trade online, using the slogan "the stock market for the next hundred years".[16] The Nasdaq Stock Market attracted many companies during the dot-com bubble.
In a series of sales in 2000 and 2001, FINRA sold its stake in the Nasdaq. On July 2, 2002, Nasdaq, Inc. became a public company via an initial public offering, listing its own shares on the exchange (traded under the ticker symbol NDAQ).[17] In 2006, the status of the NASDAQ Stock Market was changed from a stock market to a licensed national securities exchange.[18] In 2007, it merged with OMX, a leading exchange operator in the Nordic countries, expanded its global footprint, and changed its name to the Nasdaq OMX Group.[19]
To qualify for listing on the exchange, a company must be registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), must have at least three market makers (financial firms that act as brokers or dealers for specific securities) and must meet minimum requirements for assets, capital, public shares, and shareholders.
In December 2005, Nasdaq acquired Instinet for $1.9 billion, retaining the Inet ECN and subsequently selling the agency brokerage business to Silver Lake Partners and Instinet management.[21][22][23]
The European Association of Securities Dealers Automatic Quotation System (EASDAQ) was founded as a European equivalent to the Nasdaq Stock Market. It was purchased by NASDAQ in 2001 and became NASDAQ Europe.[24] In 2003, operations were shut down as a result of the burst of the dot-com bubble.[25] In 2007, Nasdaq Europe was revived first as Equiduct and was acquired by Börse Berlin later that year.[26]
In 2016, Nasdaq earned $272 million in listings-related revenues.[31]
In October 2018, the SEC blocked the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq from raising certain market-data prices. This was the first time the commission rejected increases for the exchanges' stock market data feeds.[32][33][34]
In December 2020, Nasdaq announced that it would remove shares of four Chinese companies from indexes it maintains in accordance with Executive Order 13959.[35]
In March 2025, pending approval by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Nasdaq announced plans to introduce 24-hour 5-day a week trading on its United States exchange during the second half of 2026 in response to increased global demand for U.S. equities.[37]
A quote is the price of a stock as listed on an exchange. Quotes consists of bids, the price buyers are willing to pay, and offers, the price sellers will accept.[38] Nasdaq quotes are available at three levels:
Level 1 shows the highest bid and lowest ask—inside quote.
Level 2 shows all public quotes of market makers together with information of market dealers wishing to buy or sell stock and recently executed orders.[39]
Level 3 is used by the market makers and allows them to enter their quotes and execute orders.[40]
Within the NASDAQ Composite Index, the NASDAQ exchange has three different market tiers for listed companies:[44]
Capital Market (NASDAQ-CM small cap) is an equity market for companies that have relatively small levels of market capitalization.[44] Listing requirements for such "small cap" companies are less stringent than for other Nasdaq markets that list larger companies with significantly higher market capitalization.[45]
Global Market (NASDAQ-GM mid cap) is made up of stocks that represent the Nasdaq Global Market. The Global Market consists of 1,450 stocks that meet Nasdaq's strict financial and liquidity requirements, and corporate governance standards. The Global Market is less exclusive than the Global Select Market.[46][47]
Global Select Market (NASDAQ-GS large cap) is a market capitalization-weighted index made up of US-based and international stocks that represent the NASDAQ Global Select Market Composite (NQGS). This includes companies with the largest market capitalization within the NASDAQ Composite.[48] The Global Select Market consists of 1,200 stocks that meet Nasdaq's strict financial and liquidity requirements and corporate governance standards. The Global Select Market is more exclusive than the Global Market. Every October, the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Department reviews the Global Market Composite to determine if any of its stocks have become eligible for listing on the Global Select Market.[49][50]
After the NYSE, Nasdaq is the second largest stock exchange in the United States.[51][52][53] Nasdaq is a much younger organization than the NYSE, having been founded in just 1971.[54]
In addition to age and market capitalization, there are other key differences between the two exchanges:
Exchange systems. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the NYSE maintained both an electronic trading system and a trading floor system staffed by live professionals who help conduct auctions.[55][56] Nasdaq has been an all-electronic exchange since its inception.
Market Types. The NYSE uses an auction market to set prices, while Nasdaq uses a dealer market.[57][58] In the NYSE auction market, buyers and sellers submit competitive bids simultaneously. When the buyer's bid and the seller's request match, a transaction occurs. In the Nasdaq dealer market model, all prices are set by dealers. Dealers continually update bid (sell) and ask (buy) prices throughout the trading day.
Listing fees. There is a big difference in listing fees on the major stock exchanges. Listing fees on the Nasdaq range from $55,000 to $80,000 for the lowest tier of the capital market.[59][60]
Sectors. Investors typically view the NYSE as an exchange for older, more established companies.[61] Nasdaq tends to be home to newer companies focused on technology and innovation.[62]
^Patterson, Scott (2012). Dark Pools: High-Speed Traders, A.I. Bandits, and the Threat to the Global Financial System. Crown Publishing. ISBN978-0307887177.
^Pinto, Jerald E.; Henry, Elaine; Robinson, Thomas R.; Stowe, John D. (2010). Equity Asset Valuation. CFA Institute Investment Series. Vol. 27 (2 ed.). John Wiley & Sons. p. 6. ISBN9780470579657. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. [...] NASDAQ-GS stands for 'Nasdaq Global Select Market,' [...]
