What is the Amsterdam Stock Exchange?

The Amsterdam Stock Exchange is a historic financial exchange in the Netherlands. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange has the distinction of being the first official stock exchange of its kind, according to experts. In 1602, the first shares of the Dutch East India Company were traded on this exchange at Damrak Street in Amsterdam, where the financial institution remained for many years until the middle of the 1800s.

In addition to being known as the first stock exchange in the world, the Amsterdam Stock Exchange also has the dubious title of being the first venue for the marketing of derivatives. In today’s modern financial world, as many finance pros are looking at how out-of-control derivatives markets may have contributed to the economic crash of 2008, derivatives have come under fire from a lot of individuals who feel that this kind of “financial products generation” can warp markets, and cause them to malfunction. Nevertheless, the marketing of derivatives has become a thriving industry in many countries, and the Amsterdam Stock Exchange still has a heavy hand in the regional trading of derivatives and other financial products. Its forward thinking on more sophisticated finances over the last century is part of what gives the Dutch exchange its singular renown, along with its impressive history.

In the 1970s, the Amsterdam Stock Exchange developed the European Options Exchange, the first European exchange of its kind, which oversaw the buying and selling of modern options. Later, the Dutch exchange created indexes like the AEX, a Dutch blue chip index and continued to work on the vanguard of the global financial industry. Since then, the Amsterdam Stock Exchange has become a model for certain kinds of financial services including clearing and settlement services, centralized record keeping, and modern financial communications.

The Amsterdam Stock Exchange formed a merger in the year 2000 with the Paris stock exchange and the Brussels Stock exchange, thus becoming a single venue known as Euronext Amsterdam. Today, visitors can get access to this stock exchange over the Internet, where a vibrant site with mixed English and Dutch language content helps guide web users through the current workings of this modern exchange. Various kinds of large and small stocks are traded over this exchange, which is attracting international attention as a major European hub of commerce.