About Global Financial Markets

Global financial markets are progressing rapidly every day. Many investors are looking outward to reach global markets. The financial markets in the world are developing into one seamless global market, with 24-hour trading. Investors need to keep in step with the fast moving global markets. In order to satisfy customers' demand for diverse financial markets and products, Fulbright Securities Limited introduces the trading system for American stock markets.

The U.S. has the largest financial market in the world that is huge in size and is 50 times larger than that of Hong Kong in terms of turnover, with the biggest U.S. corporations being listed in either the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or the Nasdaq Stock Exchange (NAS). Fulbright provides the online platform for our valued customers to manage your own portfolios through internet, under which investors can obtain the most updated stock prices directly from the NYSE and NAS to make your own investment decisions.

New York Stock Exchange

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the biggest and oldest stock market in the U.S., where the majority of the U.S. blue chips are listed. The Dow Jones Industrial Index is the most influential index that includes the thirty-biggest corporations in the world, which are thoroughly researched and studied. There are more than 3000 corporations listed on the NYSE from 50 countries worldwide. A number of Hong Kong corporations including HSBC, China Mobile and PetroChina are also listed as ADR in the NYSE.

The NYSE is the biggest stock exchange in the world in terms of either market value or daily turnover. As the majority of the listed companies do not have single controlling shareholders, the turnover and share prices are hence determined by the market, i.e. Exxon, Wal-Mart, and Citigroup. Large portfolios must include companies that are listed in the NYSE.

The New York Stock Exchange is the largest stock exchange in the world both in terms of market capitalization and daily transaction volume. Virtually all listed companies on NYSE have no single controlling shareholder. Share prices are decided entirely by market forces. Companies listed include some of the largest in the world: Exxon Mobil from the oil sector, Microsoft from software, Walmart from the retail sector, JP Morgan from the financial sector and many other globally known companies. Stocks listed on the NYSE must form part of the portfolio of any sophisticated investors.

Nasdaq Stock Market

The Nasdaq is the second largest stock market in the U.S. It is different from the New York Stock Exchange in that it doesn't have a trading floor physically. Instead, it is an electronic stock exchange that is mainly for high-technology companies. Big corporations such as Microsoft, Cisco and Intel were small when they were first listed on the Nasdaq. The Nasdaq includes 4000 different companies of which 2000 are technological companies, which include some Chinese internet companies such as Sina and Baidu.

Tokyo Stock Exchange

The Japanese Stock Market is the second largest market in the world with the Tokyo Stock Exchange being the most important and biggest as its market value is at least 4 times larger than the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Japan is a country that has a strong economy with well developed financial system and high technology industries, which living standard is the highest in Asia. Japanese consumer electronics and automobile companies are world-leading. Some well known companies i.e. Toyota, Sony and Toshiba are listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The Nikkei 225 Index and its derivatives are the most popular in Asia, while the Japanese Yen being one of the strongest currencies in the world. Trading Japanese stocks is equivalent to investment in Japanese Yen, which is a must for any portfolios.

Sydney Stock Exchange

Australia is a country with low population density and rich in natural resources, and is one of the main exporting countries of natural resources, such as iron ore, coal, diamonds, gold, natural gas and so on. The Australian stock market consists mainly of mineral resources stocks. The largest mining corporations, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton are listed in Australia. Recently, capital from China is being invested in a significant amount in mineral resources in Australia; hence Chinese investors should be familiar with them. The Australian market must be included when investing in resources stocks.

Singapore Stock Exchange

Singapore is the largest financial centre in South East Asia; its blue chips include companies from real estate, financial industries and conglomerates. The Singapore Stock Exchange has been actively inviting Chinese corporations to be listed there. As numerous Chinese firms can be found in the Singapore stock exchange, Chinese investors should find it familiar.

Taiwan Stock Exchange

Taiwan is the world's second largest technological products exporting Region and is just behind the U.S. and ahead of Japan. Taiwan is the global lead in wafers and OEM production. For example, Taiwan Semiconductor and United Microelectronics are the biggest wafer producers in the world, while Honhai is the largest OEM. Traditional corporations such as Formosa Plastics are also popular among global investors.

Seoul Stock Exchange

The development of South Korea is similar to Japan, with the government supporting the large groups in the manufacturing of automobiles, wafers, and electrical appliances as well as in heavy industries. Around half of the Korean GDP is contributed by Samsung, Hyundai, LG and other big groups. As South Korea's consumer electronics production is becoming as competitive as its Japan counterparts, any Asian stock market portfolios should include big listed corporations from South Korea.