GUIDES
GuidesUS StocksA Guide: The Early Days of the US Stock Market: The Buttonwood Agreement and the Birth of Wall Street
LAST EDITED BY ULFATH JOAD ON APRIL 28, 2025.
The US stock market has undergone many changes since its inception. So let’s take a brief look at how the US stock market has evolved over the past.
The first trading of securities in the US started in 1792 when a group of traders met under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street and signed an agreement to trade securities. This agreement was known as the Buttonwood Agreement, and this name was considered before the establishment of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
With the increase in traders, the trading in securities started to get more organised, and it evolved into the New York Stock Exchange Board in 1817. The Board saw the trading of stocks and other securities with a primary aim to provide a common place for traders.
In 1863, again, the name was changed to New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), which has remained since. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) proliferated and became one of the most important financial institutions in the world.
It was founded in 1971. It was the first exchange that allowed the use of a computerised trading system that allowed faster and easy trading. NASDAQ gained popularity among technology companies.
It was established in 1908 as the New York Curb Market Agency and gained popularity as an exchange focused on trading speculative securities with a high-risk, high-reward profile. In 1953, the name was changed to the American Stock Exchange, and it became a significant player in the options trading market.
In 2007, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) merged with Euronext, a European stock exchange. This merger gave birth to NYSE Euronext and became the first transatlantic stock exchange. Also, the stock exchange was responsible for trading some of the world’s most valuable stocks.
In 2013, the NYSE Euronext was acquired by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), and the NYSE Euronext name was changed to the New York Stock Exchange Group.
The US stock market name has undergone many changes, reflecting the growth and development of the financial industry. Today, the New York Stock Exchange Group remains one of the most critical financial institutions globally.
The name of the US stock market is the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) which was Buttonwood Agreement in 1792, New York Stock and Exchange Board in 1817 and NYSE in 1863 .
The US stock market index name is the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) which tracks the stock prices of 30 large publicly traded companies in the US. Some other popular US stock market indexes include the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite.
The birth of NASDAQ and the use of computerised trading systems have made trading more accessible. It has allowed the US stock market to expand its reach beyond the traditional trading hours and physical locations.
The introduction of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 1934 has increased transparency and accountability in the evolution of the US stock market’s name.
Political and economic factors did not impact the naming of the US stock market directly, but they have influenced the financial industry's growth. For example, the market crash of 2008 has led to regulatory changes and increased oversight, reflecting the impact of economic factors in the industry.
