Risk governance & control: financial markets & institutions / Volume 3, Issue 1, 2013, Continued - 1 THE DYNAMICS OF STOCK MARKET DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Sheilla Nyasha*, NM Odhiambo** Abstract This paper highlights the origin and development of the stock market in the United States of America. The country consists of several stock exchanges, with the three largest being the NYSE Euronext (NYX), National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation (NASDAQ), and the Chicago Stock Exchange. Stock market reforms have been implemented since the stock market crash of 1929; and the exchanges responded positively to some of these reforms, but not so positively to some of the reforms. As a result of the reforms, the U.S. stock market has developed in terms of market capitalisation, the total value of stocks traded, and the turnover ratio. Although the U.S. stock market has developed over the years, its market still faces wide-ranging challenges. Keywords: United States of America, New York Stock Exchange Euronext, NASDAQ, Stock Market, Reforms *Department of Economics, University of South Africa, P.O Box 392, UNISA, 0003, Pretoria, South Africa Email:
[email protected] **Corresponding author. Department of Economics, University of South Africa, P.O Box 392, UNISA, 0003, Pretoria, South Africa Email:
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[email protected] 1 Introduction investors, but they also facilitate the inflow of foreign financial resources into the domestic economy; and Stock market development is an important component they promote risky, entrepreneurial investments of financial sector development, and it supplements through their risk-sharing and monitoring functions. the role of the banking system in economic Even the most recent studies have confirmed the vital development.