Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX)

The Toronto Stock Exchange is the largest stock exchange in Canada, the third largest in North America, and the seventh largest in the world based on market capitalization. It is owned and operated by TMX Group and is based in Toronto, the country's largest city.

The Toronto Stock Exchange was unofficially founded in 1852 by a group of Toronto businessmen. The official creation took place in 1861 and was formally incorporated in 1878. The exchange grew in size and shares traded until a three-month period in 1914, when it was closed due to financial panic created by World War I.

The Toronto Stock Exchange merged with its largest competitor, the Standard Stock and Mining Exchange, in 1934. In 1977 the exchange introduced an automated trading system and in 1997 it closed the trading floor and joined the NASDAQ as having the only electronic trading environment in North America.

In 2000 the Toronto Stock Exchange became a for-profit company and a year later changed its acronym to TSX. In 2001 the TSX obtained the Canadian Venture Exchange, which was renamed the TSX Venture Exchange. In 2007 the S&P/TSX Composite traded above the 14,000 point level for the first time.

The TSX Group is a leader in the oil and gas sector. It has more than 400 oil and gas companies, more than any other exchange in the world. Big energy companies traded on the TSX include Cameco, Canadian Natural Resources, Canadian Oil Sands Trust, EnCana, Husky Energy, Imperial Oil and Nexen.

Overall the TEX has nearly 4,000 companies with a combined market capitalization of $2.2 trillion. The exchange is home to Canada's Big Five commercial banks: CIBC, Bank of Montreal, Bank of Nova Scotia, Royal Bank of Canada, and the Toronto-Dominion Bank. There are 79 life science companies on the exchange.

Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) - by BetterTrades