Gallery

Frankfurt Stock Exchange	Hong Kong Stock Exchange	Madrid Stock Exchange	Milan Stock Exchange
Montreal Stock Exchange	Bombay Stock Exchange	Osaka Securities Exchange	Philippine Stock Exchange
Shanghai Stock Exchange	SWX Swiss Exchange

The First Stock Exchanges

In 11th century France the courtiers de change were concerned with managing and regulating the debts of agricultural communities on behalf of the banks. As these men also traded in debts, they could be called the first brokers.

Some stories suggest that the origins of the term "bourse" come from the Latin bursa meaning a bag because, in 13th century Bruges, the sign of a purse (or perhaps three purses), hung on the front of the house where merchants met.

However, it is more likely that in the late 13th century commodity traders in Bruges gathered inside the house of a man called Van der Burse, and in 1309 they institutionalized this until now informal meeting and became the "Bruges Bourse". The idea spread quickly around Flanders and neighbouring counties and "Bourses" soon opened in Ghent and Amsterdam.

In the middle of the 13th century, Venetian bankers began to trade in government securities. In 1351, the Venetian Government outlawed spreading rumors intended to lower the price of government funds. There were people in Pisa, Verona, Genoa and Florence who also began trading in government securities during the 14th century. This was only possible because these were independent city states ruled by a council of influential citizens, not by a duke.

The Dutch later started joint stock companies, which let shareholders invest in business ventures and get a share of their profits—or losses. In 1602, the Dutch East India Company issued the first shares on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. It was the first company to issue stocks and bonds. In 1688, the trading of stocks began on a stock exchange in London

Market Data Services - Infolect

Every second of the trading day the London Stock Exchange generates invaluable market information: from real-time data on individual trades and share price movements, to company announcements. This data is delivered via our real-time information delivery system, Infolect.

Infolect is the enhanced successor to LMIL (London Market Information Link) and is one of the fastest real-time information delivery system of any Exchange in the world. The reduced latency of data delivery gives our customers a competitive edge in markets where every millisecond can make a difference.

In recognition of our unrivalled breadth, quality and depth of market data the Exchange has been voted ‘Data Provider of the Year’ for two consecutive years at the Inside Market Data awards – representing our continued ability to provide world-leading exchange data services to the global market.

This section of the website provides full information on:

Welcome to Stock.XCHNG, the leading FREE stock photo site!

Whether you just want to browse our huge image gallery or want to share your own photos with others, this is the site for you!

Browse through the categories of our huge gallery containing over 350.000 quality stock photos by more than 30.000 photographers! Need a wallpaper for your desktop or illustration for your blog? Need a pic for your commercial website design? Looking for inspiration? Have a look around.

Share your photos with fellow designers! SXC is a friendly community of photography addicts who generously offer their works to those who need them free of charge. If you have some nice photos that you'd like to share with others, join us! Not only it feels great to share, you will also get a huge exposure for your work!

Chat with other members in our forum! Looking for something? Need an opinion? Have a question? Post a topic, and someone will definitely help you out.