NASDAQ Quiz: Test Your Market Knowledge

NASDAQ was established in 1971 and its full name reflects its origins as a system that used computer technology to display and match buy and sell orders electronically. At the time of its launch, this approach was a significant departure from the traditional open-outcry floor trading that dominated established stock exchanges around the world.

NASDAQ was created by the National Association of Securities Dealers as a way to provide a more transparent and efficient marketplace for securities that were not listed on major exchanges. It launched as the world's first electronic stock market and initially operated only as a quotation system before eventually evolving into a full trading exchange.

NASDAQ maintains a broad market index that tracks the performance of all common stocks and similar securities listed on the exchange. It is one of the most widely followed equity indices in the world and is frequently used to gauge the overall health of the technology sector, though it also includes companies from many other industries.

In 2008, NASDAQ completed a major international acquisition that expanded its presence across Europe and the Nordic region. The deal brought together two exchange operators and created a group owning and running stock exchanges in several countries, handling equities, derivatives and market technology services across multiple continents.

NASDAQ operates a tiered listing structure placing companies into different segments depending on their size, financial record and governance standards. The highest tier was designed to attract the most established and well-governed companies, requiring stricter compliance with financial and transparency criteria than the other tiers below it.