The Netherlands is a highly industrialized and prosperous nation with an open, mixed economy that is one of the ten richest nations in the world with the 17th largest economy in the world. Historically, the Dutch introduced and invented the stock market by a group of buyers and sellers of shares by trading goods through a chartered company founded in 1602 called the Dutch East India Company, which was an association formed by investors on shareholders for commercial, exploration and colonization purposes. The company is considered the first multinational in the world and also the first to issue shares. The Netherlands experienced rapid economic growth and almost zero inflation from the late 1980s to 1991 and also has one of the best credit ratings in Europe. Nonetheless, they were still affected by the global recession of the early 1990s, the terrorist attacks on the United States on 9/11, and the war in Iraq. The Netherlands is a founding member of the OECD; Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and World Trade Organization. They are also known for their stable industrial relations and fairly low unemployment rate. The Dutch labor market also has relatively strict rules on dismissing employees, but the House of Representatives has relaxed these rules to reduce the government budget deficit to less than 3%. Although the Netherlands' natural resources, such as agricultural land, oil and gas, are limited, its location plays an important role as a European transport hub. Entrepot trade, trade based on goods in transit between Europe and the rest of the world, accounts for more than half of the country's national income, with the majority of trade passing through Rotterdam Europort; one of... in the center of the card... a variety of blub type flowers such as daffodils, tulips, crocuses, hyacinths and various other species. Large auctions of flowers and plants are held every day. The most famous flower auctions take place in Aalsmeer, where more than 20 million cut flowers are sold every day. The economy of the Netherlands is made up of many factors that contribute to its overall income. Things like trade and transportation, technology and manufacturing, agriculture and horticulture all play an important role in the economy, as do various other things. Trade and transport make the Netherlands the “gateway to Europe”. Many Dutch and non-Dutch multinational electronics companies and industries are located in urban centres. Half of the land is used for agriculture and other various forms of livestock farming. Thanks to these things, the Netherlands has a thriving economy that continues to grow.