New York Stock Exchange (NYSE): Defined & Explained

NYSE: What Is the New York Stock Exchange?

By Adam Levy – Updated Nov 14, 2024 at 1:14 PM

Key Points

NYSE offers a central platform for buying and selling stocks and raising corporate capital.
Electronic trading at NYSE matches buyers with sellers in real time, aiding transparency.
NYSE operates weekdays from 9:30 AM to 4 PM ET, closing on federal holidays and some half-days.

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the world's biggest marketplace for investors to buy and sell shares of stock. Located on Wall Street in New York City and owned by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE -0.06%), the NYSE's history goes back more than 200 years. Many of the world's largest, best-known, and most prestigious businesses choose to list their shares on the stock exchange.

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An infographic defining the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and explaining its history. — Image source: The Motley Fool.

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Federal holidays observed by the NYSE in 2025. Data source: New York Stock Exchange
Holiday	2025 Date
New Year's Day	Wednesday, Jan. 1
Martin Luther King Day	Monday, Jan. 20
Washington's Birthday	Monday, Feb. 17
Good Friday	Friday, April 18
Memorial Day	Monday, May 26
Independence Day	Friday, July 4
Labor Day	Monday, Sept. 1
Thanksgiving Day	Thursday, Nov. 27
Christmas Day	Thursday, Dec. 25

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There's also been considerable consolidation among exchanges through the years, making the NYSE part of a much broader network of exchanges. NYSE owner Intercontinental Exchange operates futures and options exchanges, and the NYSE has a separate market for bond trading.

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The NYSE's sister stock exchanges include:

NYSE American (formerly American Stock Exchange)
NYSE Arca for exchange-traded funds
NYSE Chicago (formerly Chicago Stock Exchange)
The all-electronic NYSE National Exchange (formerly Cincinnati Stock Exchange)

These other exchanges complement the NYSE through different listing standards, different trading methods, or a focus on products other than stocks. The NYSE has a reputation for being the most prestigious and important stock exchange in the world. Investors in U.S. stocks have relied on the services the NYSE has provided for more than 200 years and will continue to do so long into the future.

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About the Author

Adam Levy is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering technology, consumer, and financial stocks and how policy, economic, and consumer trends shape personal finance, Social Security and retirement savings. Before The Motley Fool, Adam was a financial advisor at Edward Jones. He studied finance and electrical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.

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Adam Levy has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Intercontinental Exchange. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.