Nasdaq is a global electronic marketplace for buying and selling securities. It was founded in 1971 as the world's first electronic stock exchange and is now the second-largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization, after the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Nasdaq operates in over 50 countries and offers trading in stocks, options, futures, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
In addition to its role as a stock exchange, Nasdaq also provides a range of technology solutions to other financial institutions, including market data, trading and clearing systems, and financial indexes. Nasdaq is known for its innovative use of technology, including the use of electronic trading, which has revolutionized the way stocks are bought and sold.
Some of the world's largest and most well-known companies are listed on Nasdaq, including Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google. Nasdaq is also home to many emerging technology companies and is considered to be a key market for companies in the tech industry. The Nasdaq Composite Index, which tracks the performance of all the companies listed on the Nasdaq exchange, is widely followed as an indicator of the health of the technology sector and the broader stock market.