Every weekday from 10am to 4pm, on average, $169 billion is traded back and forth. It's the New York Stock Exchange and has been trading stocks since 1817. The stock market has a major impact on our lives (just ask anyone who lived during the Great Depression). It is an institution that has made people unfathomably rich, as well as incredibly wealthy. poor. Today the New York Stock Exchange has over 2,300 different companies trading stocks worth just over $16 trillion. There are currently over one hundred unique stock exchanges around the world. A stock exchange provides companies with a means to raise capital through the issuance of shares. This process begins when a private company applies to issue an initial public offering or IPO. Companies often want to seek assistance from investment banks or other financial institutions in launching their IPO. An investment banker examines the company's financial statements and records to determine the value of the company. Then the shares are issued on stock exchanges for investors and traders to purchase. The company raises funds by selling its shares to investors. The company and investors share a mutualistic relationship as the company needs capital and the investors who bought the shares believe that the company will do well and in return the shares will grow. Stocks fluctuate based on various economic indicators. These factors include inflation, market and competitive strength, trends and many more depending on what you are investing in. These factors are, for the most part, unpredictable. Events such as a national disaster or terrorist attack can also have a major impact on equity technology, much like what teachers are facing today. The stock market; while tempting, it is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It is a rather complex economic system that can be found all over the world. It has seen many changes since its inception. The history of the stock market is very similar to a stock chart with many ups and downs. Without all its ups and downs we wouldn't have the stock systems we have today. Today we have a system in which companies and traders have a mutualistic interest; so that actions excel. It is the talking point of many conversations as well as being subject to much speculation. Stock markets are continually expanding as more and more IPOs are filed. With a platform in place to enable crucial financing for companies, the stock market is one of the most important systems put in place.