In 1790, trading in stocks and shares took place haphazardly on or around Wall Street, but in 1792, 24 brokers who traded under a buttonwood tree at 68 Wall Street signed an agreement to deal only with one another, and the basis of the New York Stock Exchange was formed. Membership is strictly limited. In 1817, a seat cost $25; today the cost is more than two million dollars, and a rigorous test of suitability is required.

The New York Stock Exchange has weathered a succession of alternating slumps and booms, and has seen advances in technology, from tickertape to microchip, turn a local marketplace into a financial centre of global importance.

On the busiest days, some 2 billion shares are traded form more than 2,000 listed companies. The advanced electronics that support the Designated Order Turnaround computer are carried above the chose of the trading floor in a web of gold piping.