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This NYC-based exchange is one of the largest of its kind and houses many of the oldest publicly traded companies in the US. To invest, all you’ll need is an online brokerage account.
How to invest in the NYSE
You can buy NYSE stocks by opening an account with an online broker. This process only takes a few minutes. Once you open and fund an account, you can buy and sell shares weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET.
5 steps to open a brokerage account
Choose a trading platform. When choosing a platform, make sure it offers access to the securities you want to trade. Different brokers also have different fee structures, so find the most cost-effective one for your needs.
Open an account. Once you’ve selected a broker, you’ll need to open a trading account. The broker will ask you to enter some basic personal information and connect an external bank account.
Deposit funds. Before you can begin trading, you’ll need to fund your account with a deposit.
Buy stocks. Most platforms provide research tools that allow you to filter available securities. Once you’ve found a stock you’d like to purchase, submit your order.
Monitor your investments. Log in to your brokerage account to track your investments.
Sign up bonus: [FINDER EXCLUSIVE] Get a $25 bonus when you sign up and deposit $100
How is the NYSE performing?
This graph tracks how the NYSE has performed historically. Toggle between the options on the graph to see data by month or year.
How much does it cost to invest in the NYSE?
The amount you pay to invest depends on the specific broker or trading platform you use, as each has its own fee structure. When comparing platforms, look for its fees and cost structure — this can have a big influence on the cost of investing.
If you’re exclusively interested in swapping stocks, there’s good news: Very few brokers charge commissions on stocks. In fact, commission-free or zero-fee stock trading is available on many popular platforms like eToro, SoFi and tastytrade.
Other fees
Outside stock commissions, there are several other brokerage account fees to look for. Every platform is different, so compare your options across multiple brokers to find the pricing you’re most comfortable with:
Options fees. Most options contracts cost $0.65 to $1 to trade.
Futures fees. Brokers that offer futures typically charge $2.75 per trade.
Mutual funds fees. Most brokers charge between $27.50 and $49.99 per no-load mutual fund.
Account transfer fees. Expect to pay $50 to $75 when transferring funds to an external account.
Broker-assisted trades. Platforms that offer broker-assisted trades typically charge $24.99 to $32.95 for the service.
Invest in NYSE exchange-traded funds
If you want to invest in the New York Stock Exchange without purchasing stocks, consider purchasing an index fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF). These funds differ from stocks in three primary ways:
They track the performance of multiple stocks on the NYSE.
They diversify your portfolio with a single purchase.
Their value is directly tied to the performance of the market.
Hundreds of index funds are available for the NYSE, so there’s likely to be one that suits your investing goals. Many of the most famous stock market indexes, such as the S&P 500, Dow Jones and NYSE Composite, track stocks listed on the NYSE.
What is the NYSE Composite?
The NYSE Composite is an index that tracks every common stock listed on the exchange. The Composite is comprised of over 2,000 stocks, offering investors a comprehensive gauge of the market as a whole. The index is maintained by S&P Dow Jones Indexes, the same company responsible for monitoring the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA).
Popular ETFs that track the NYSE
Guggenheim S&P 500 Pure Growth ETF (NYSE Arca|RPG)
iShares Core S&P Total US Stock Mkt (NYSE Arca|ITOT)
iShares NYSE Composite Index Fund (NYSE Arca: NYC)
iShares Russell 3000 Index (NYSE Arca|IWV)
Schwab Fundamental U.S. Broad Market Index ETF (NYSE Arca|FNDB)
Schwab US Broad Market ETF (NYSE Arca|SCHB)
Vanguard Total World Stock (NYSE Arca|VT)
Vanguard Total Stock Market (NYSE Arca|VTI)
Vanguard Total International Stock (NYSE Arca|VXUS)
Vanguard Russell 3000 (NYSE Arca|VTHR)
Why should I invest in the NYSE?
The New York Stock Exchange is by far the world’s largest stock exchange, with a total market capitalization of over $22 trillion. It features over 2,400 stocks from some of the most valuable companies in the world. If you’re looking to diversify your portfolio, the NYSE has plenty to offer. Investing in the NYSE can be a good way to broaden your portfolio and get exposure to successful stocks.
Here are the 15 biggest companies by market capitalization as of October 2023:
No investment is risk-free, no matter how large and successful the market. Investing in individual stocks can be risky, as stocks tend to be more volatile than ETFs. There’s opportunity for profit, but if the company you’ve invested in goes under, you’ll suffer a loss.
ETFs provide greater stability in an investor’s portfolio but also carry risk. Funds that track the entire NYSE suffer from the same vulnerability as other large index-tracking funds: They’re dominated by large-cap stocks. Big index-tracking funds are cap-weighted, which means that companies with the highest market cap have the biggest impact on the index’s performance. This can result in skewed index data.
The best way to build a truly diversified portfolio is to invest in funds from large and small indexes.
Compare more trading platforms to invest in the NYSE
Compare trading platforms that offer access to the NYSE below.
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Finder is not an adviser or brokerage service. Information on this page is for educational purposes only and not a recommendation to invest with any one company, trade specific stocks or fund specific investments. All editorial opinions are our own.
Bottom line
The New York Stock Exchange remains one of the most prolific in the world, housing some of the largest and most successful publicly traded companies on the market. Anyone with a brokerage account can invest. Review your trading platform options with multiple providers to find the account that fits your investment needs.
Frequently asked questions about investing in the NYSE
Yes, you can invest directly in the NYSE by buying individual stocks or index funds.
There is no minimum investment for the NYSE. If you have a trading account with a brokerage that offers fractional share trading, you can invest in slices of whole shares.
What happens to your $1,000 depends entirely on which stocks or index funds you choose to invest in, how long you keep your investments and how the economy is doing as a whole.
Tom Stelzer is a writer for Finder specialising in personal finance, including loans and credit, as well as small business and business loans. He has previously worked as a freelance writer covering entertainment, culture and football for publications like FourFourTwo and Man of Many. He has a Master of Media Arts and Production and Bachelor of Communications in Journalism from the University of Technology Sydney.
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