The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) plays an important role in the U.S. financial system, but it also reflects and influences global trends.
The Exchange, where securities are bought and sold, was launched in May 1792, when 24 of New York’s largest stockbrokers – all men – gathered under a tree in Manhattan to create the city’s first Stock Exchange.
Today, a woman leads the Exchange. Stacey Cunningham began her career on Wall Street in 1994 as an intern on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange. She was promoted to become Chief Operating Officer, and is now the 67th president.
With about 2,300 companies listed, the New York Stock Exchange was valued at over $22 trillion in 2017, more than most stock exchanges in the world. This figure is based on the total market value of shares traded on the Exchange, known as 
market capitalization.
It is estimated that 54% of Americans in 2017 reported investing in the market, whether through individual stocks, mutual funds, pensions, or retirement plans, according to a Gallup poll.
When the New York Stock Exchange was founded, a global community of stock exchanges already existed. The very first stock exchange was founded in Amsterdam in 1602, followed by the exchanges in London, England, and Frankfurt, Germany.
The New York Stock Exchange was originally based on the Dutch Stock Exchange, declared Peter Asch, an archivist at the NYSE. While the Amsterdam Stock Exchange began trading shares of the Dutch East India Company, the first products of the New York Stock Exchange were bonds issued by the newly formed U.S. government to pay off the debt accumulated during the 
American Revolutionary War.
Although the first stock exchange in the U.S. was established in Philadelphia, the NYSE quickly became the most prominent.
“All cities had banks at that time,” Asch said, “but New York quickly became the largest banking center in the country. It became a place where, if you wanted to undertake a large project and needed financing, we were the ideal destination.”
Today, the New York Stock Exchange is the only major stock exchange in the world that still has a physical trading floor. “That is indeed what makes us different, our market model,” Asch said. “The NYSE is a community of the largest companies in the world. They can come here to offer their ideas to the market.”
From the beginning, activities on the New York Stock Exchange have represented market trends, providing a window into what drives the global economy. In its early years, the NYSE focused on railroads and operational companies. During the 1900s, automobile manufacturers came onto the scene, followed by airplanes, computers, and today, digital technology companies. According to Asch, the next big innovation can always be found in the listings of the New York Stock Exchange.
Source: share.america.gov, by Maeve Allsup