Stock Market, New York, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Australian Stock Exchange

The stock market is an entity driven by supply and demand. The number of shares of stock dictates the supply and the number of shares that investors want to buy dictates the demand. It's important to understand the process for every share that is purchased as there is someone on the other end selling that share (or vice versa). The stock market is simply an automated superstore where investors buy and sell their stock. The main players in the stock market are the exchanges. Exchanges are where the sellers are matched with buyers to both facilitate trading and to help set the price of the shares. The most liquid primary exchanges are the Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

Below is the summary of the major global stock markets.