Bombay Stock Exchange

Financial Dictionary -> Investing -> Bombay Stock Exchange

Located in Mumbai, India, the Bombay Stock Exchange (or simply BSE in its abbreviated form), is the largest stock market exchange in South Asia and tenth in the world, with a market capitalization of $1.79 trillion US equivalent. It also boasts the record of having the most listed companies out of any exchange in the world, totaling 4,700 as of August 2007. Its main index is the BSE Sensex (BSE 30), which tracks 30 of the top performing companies on the exchange.

First established in 1875, the Bombay Stock Exchange has grown to one of the most influential exchanges in the world. Beginning with merely 6,000 listed companies it now ranks the highest out of any. Currently it operates every day accept Saturday and Sunday, with several trading sessions.

The beginning session runs from 8am to 9pm, the login session from 9am to 9:30am, the regular trading session from 9:55am to 3:30pm, the position transfer session from 3:30pm to 3:50pm, the closing session from 3:50pm to 4:05pm, the option exercise session from 4:05pm to 4:35pm, the margin session from 4:35pm to 4:50pm, and the query session from 4:50pm to 5:35pm.

Bombay is one of the few exchanges to use the BOLT online trading system, which can handle both order driven and quote driven trades. This electronic infrastructure cuts costs and speeds up the entire process for a highly efficient platform that is needed in today's fast paced investment society. There are over 9,000 BSE trading terminals throughout India.

One of the unique aspects of the Bombay Stock Exchange is the building itself, which since 2006 features a large broadcast wall (the largest screen in India) that displays the latest stock quotes in real time. It also broadcasts national business news channel NDTV.