The Australian Stock Exchange ASX

The Australian Stock Exchange began in 1861, when the first stock exchange was established in Melbourne. In 1980, the Australian Stock Exchange was the result of the merger between the Melbourne and Sydney stock exchanges. The Australian Stock Exchange merged with the Sydney Futures Exchange in 1987 to establish the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). Today the Australian Stock Exchange is mainly conducted through the ASX headquarters in Sydney.

In the Australian Stock Exchange, the ASX is listed as a public company. ASX shares are traded on the Australian Stock Exchange through ASX itself. Although the ASX places regulations on other companies, it is the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) that regulates the ASX. The Australian Securities Exchange is purposed to operate, supervise, and regulate the Australian Stock Exchange. As of 2006, the ASX has been on the top 10 list of exchange groups in the world.

The normal operations of the Australian Stock Exchange occur during weekdays from 10 o'clock in the morning to 4 o'clock in the afternoon (AEST or AEDT). When the Australian Stock Exchange opens, single price auctions are held in alphabetical order. Closing prices for the Australian Stock Exchange are set through a day-ending single-price auction from 4:10pm to 4:11pm. The Integrated Trading System (ITS) is a fully-electronic trading system used for efficient and quick transactions. Before the ITS system, the Australian Stock Exchange made use of the Stock Exchange Automated Trading System (SEATS), which was based on time and price priority.

As of the end of 2007, The Australian Stock Exchange capitalisation handled by ASX exceeded 1.6 million dollars. At this time, approximately 2,090 companies were listed with over 77 million dollars in capital raised. Since 2006, the company has been consistently ranked 8th on the Morgan Stanley Capital International world stock market index. The Australian Stock Exchange and economy are largely affected by ASX. The Australian Stock Exchange ownership can be broken down into three categories: retail, institutional and foreign. Retail and institutional investors account for 30% each of the ownerships. Foreign investors, on the other hand, account for 40% of the Australian Stock Exchange ownerships.