US Finance, Finance US, USA Finance, Finance USA

By: EconomyWatch   Date: 30 June 2010

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The US finance market is regulated by several agencies and institutions, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, various bourses and clearing agencies. The US economy is the world’s largest, with the gross domestic product (GDP) crossing $14 trillion in 2008. The US economy is service oriented and this sector accounted for 78.5% of the nation’s 2008 GDP.

One of the major issues that plagues the US is external debt, totaling more than $10 trillion in March 2009. The economy also battled with mortgage debt, corporate debt, a low savings rate and falling house prices in 2007-2009.

US Finance: Currency

The US dollar (USD or US$) is issued by the country’s central bank, the Federal Reserve. The US dollar has historically been regarded as one of the most stable currencies in the world. As a result, the currencies of most countries are valued against the US dollar and by the extent of US dollar reserves the country has. However, the US dollar has been very volatile in the 21st century and its reserve currency status is no longer regarded as highly as it previously was.

US Finance: Stock Market

The US stock market comprises of 11 stock exchanges, namely the American Stock Exchange (ASE), New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Pacific Stock Exchange (PSE), Boston Stock Exchange (BSE), NASDAQ, HedgeStreet, National Stock Exchange (NSE), New York Board of Trade (NYBT), Cincinnati Stock Exchange (CSE), Chicago Stock Exchange (CHX) and Philadelphia Stock Exchange (PHLX). Of these the NYSE, NASDAQ and ASE are the main bourses.

NASDAQ is the largest electronic screen-based equity trading market in the US and its trading volumes per hour are the highest in the world. It has about 3,200 listed companies. Trading in all stock exchanges in the US is monitored by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

US Finance: Commodity Market

The US has several commodities exchanges, of which the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and New York Board of Trade (NYBOT) are the most popular. The New York Board of Trade (NYBOT) was the first commodity exchange in the country and now also trades currency pairs. The NYMEX is one of the oldest exchanges in the US and specializes in petroleum and metal products. Commodities trading in the US is regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).


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