Section 1 · Stock Fundamentals
NYSE vs. NASDAQ
The two biggest US stock exchanges — and how they differ.
Two different stadiums for the same sport.
Both exchanges let you buy and sell stocks, but they work differently. NYSE has a physical trading floor with human specialists. NASDAQ is fully electronic — no floor, no humans matching trades. Most tech giants (Apple, Google, Meta) list on NASDAQ. Blue-chip industrials (Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil) often list on NYSE.
3 things to know
NYSE was founded in 1792 and is the largest exchange in the world by market cap.
NASDAQ was founded in 1971 as the world's first electronic stock market.
Combined, NYSE and NASDAQ list over 8,000 companies.
Dive Deeper
Key vocabulary — tap each card
Practice
Scenario
You're launching a high-growth software startup and it's time to IPO. Your company has $50M annual revenue, 200 employees, and a tech-savvy investor base. Which exchange makes more sense?
Did you know?
The famous NYSE opening bell rings every trading day at 9:30 AM ET. Companies pay for the privilege of ringing it — it is a marketing event.
🧠 Knowledge Check
1 / 3Answer all questions correctly to unlock the next lesson
Which US stock exchange has a physical trading floor with human specialists?