The New York Stock Exchange traces its origins to the Buttonwood Agreement signed by 24 stockbrokers on May 17, 1792, as a response to the first financial panic in the young nation. It set rules for how stocks could be traded and established set commissions.
What was the first stock market in the US?
Philadelphia Stock Exchange (PHLX), now known as Nasdaq PHLX, is the first stock exchange established in the United States and the oldest stock exchange in the nation. The exchange is owned by Nasdaq, which acquired it in 2007 for $652 million, and is headquartered in Philadelphia.
What was the first stock ever traded?
The Dutch East India Co. holds the distinction of being the first company to offer equity shares of its business to the public, effectively conducting the world's first initial public offering (IPO).