All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.
Biggest stock exchanges
We've compiled a list of stock exchanges worldwide that you can invest in.
Together, the five biggest stock exchanges in the world have a market capitalisation of more than $48 billion USD (around £36.3 billion GBP). They are home to the world’s best known companies like Apple, HSBC and Walt Disney. Find out how you can invest in the world’s largest stock exchanges.
What is market capitalisation?
Market capitalisation (often referred to as “market cap”) is the total value of a company’s outstanding shares of stock. It’s pretty easy to calculate – it’s just the total outstanding shares multiplied by the market value of one share.
To find the market cap of a stock exchange, you add up the market capitalisation of all of the companies in the exchange. The biggest stock exchanges have market capitalisations of more than $10 billion USD.
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
The New York Stock Exchange is the world’s largest stock exchange by market capitalisation. Its market capitalisation is $22,923 billion USD (around £17,404 billion GBP). It’s home to some of the most recognisable brands in the world such as Twitter, Spotify and Walt Disney.
The New York Stock exchange opening hours are 9:30am to 4pm ET, which is 2:30pm to 9pm GMT.
NASDAQ
NASDAQ (sometimes referred to as Nasdaq) is the world’s second largest stock exchange by market capitalisation. It started as the world’s first electronic stock market as a quotation system. NASDAQ’s market capitalisation is $10,857 billion USD (around £8,243 billion GBP). There are some major well known companies on NASDAQ, including the “FAANG stocks”, Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Alphabet (Google).
The NASDAQ exchange opening hours are from 9:30 am to 4pm ET, which is 2:30pm to 9pm GMT.
Japan Exchange Group (JPX)
Japan Exchange Group is a corporation that manages several exchanges, including the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Osaka Stock Exchange. These exchanges merged in 2011, which puts Japan Exchange Group the third largest stock exchange by market capitalisation. It has a total market cap of $5,679 billion USD (around £4,309 billion GBP).
Japan Exchange Group’s opening hours are from 9am to 3pm JST with a lunch break between 11:30am and 12:30pm which is from midnight to 6am GMT with a lunch break between 2:30am and 3:30am. You’ll definitely need to be an early bird to get the worm.
London Stock Exchange (LSE)
The London Stock Exchange is one of the oldest in the world and one of the world’s biggest stock exchanges. It has a market capitalisation of $4,590 billion USD (around £3,483 billion GBP). Companies on the LSE include BP, Natwest and Sainsbury’s.
The opening hours for the London Stock Exchange are 8am to 4:30pm. It runs straight through without a lunch break.
Shanghai Stock Exchange
Shanghai Stock Exchange is one of China’s stock exchanges. It’s got a market capitalisation of $4,026 billion USD (around £3,052 billion GBP). The bad news is that if you’ve got dreams of investing in the Shanghai Stock Exchange, you can’t. If there’s a company on the Shanghai stock exchange that you want to invest in, then it may also be traded on one of the US exchanges.
The opening hours for the Shanghai Stock Exchange are 9:30am to 3pm in the Shanghai timezone which is GMT+08:00. It takes a lunch break from 11:30am to 1pm.
In UK time it is open from 1:30am to 7am GMT with a lunch break from 3:30am to 5am.
Compare investment services
To invest in the biggest stock exchanges in the world you’ll need an investment broker.
Table: sorted by promoted deals first
List of the biggest stock exchanges in the world
These are the biggest stock exchanges in the world by market capitalisation.
| Stock exchange | Short name | Market capitalisation |
|---|---|---|
| New York Stock Exchange | NYSE | $22,923 billion USD |
| Nasdaq | NASDAQ | $10,857 billion USD |
| Japan Exchange Group | JPX | $5,679 billion USD |
| London Stock Exchange | LSE | $4,590 billion USD |
| Shanghai Stock Exchange | SSE | $4,026 billion USD |
More guides on Finder
-
Stocks for after coronavirus
We’ve compiled some stocks that might bounce back in the coming months during Boris Johnsons’ roadmap out of lockdown.
-
Alternatives to IG
Find out some alternatives to IG and what they’re good for. We’ve listed some similar trading platforms to consider.
-
Alternatives to Degiro
Compare some alternatives to Degiro. We’ve found some similar trading platforms to Degiro that you could consider.
-
Which brokers are still trading GME?
We’ve put together this list of providers we’ve reviewed on our site with the latest information.
-
Reddit stocks: 10 stocks on the WallStreetBets radar
Reddit has long been home to a huge retail investing community called WallStreetBets. Find out how to get the latest Reddit-tipped stocks here.
-
The best stock trading apps and platforms in the UK
We’ve taken a look at some of the best trading apps in the UK and explained who they’re best suited to. Our table compares fees and services too.
-
Invest in the London Stock Exchange
Find out more about the London Stock Exchange, what companies are listed on it and how to invest in the largest exchange in Europe.
-
Invest in the Toronto Stock Exchange
Find out what the Toronto Stock Exchange is, what companies are on it and how you can buy shares on Canada’s largest exchange.
-
Invest in the Euronext stock exchange
Find out about the Euronext stock exchange, how it works, some companies listed on it and how to invest in Euronext ETFs and shares
-
How to invest in the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) from the UK
Find the cheapest and easiest ways to invest in Asia’s oldest stock exchange.
Ask an Expert