Formerly, The Stock Exchange, Bombay, is a stock exchange located on Dalal Street, Mumbai and is the oldest stock exchange in Asia. The equity market capitalization of the companies listed on the BSE was US$1.63 trillion as of December 2010, making it the 4th largest stock exchange in Asia and the 8th largest in the world.[1] The BSE has the largest number of listed companies in the world.[2]
As of June 2011, there are over 5,085 listed Indian companies and over 8,196 scrips on the stock exchange, the Bombay Stock Exchange has a significant trading volume. The BSE SENSEX, also called "BSE 30", is a widely used market index in India and Asia. Though many other exchanges exist, BSE and the National Stock Exchange of India account for the majority of the equity trading in India. While both have similar total market capitalization (about USD 1.6 trillion), share volume in NSE is typically two times that of BSE.
The hours of operation for the BSE are stated in terms of the local time in Mumbai , India. BSE's normal trading sessions are on all days of the week except Saturday, Sundays and holidays declared by the Exchange in advance.
History
The Phiroze Jeejeebhoy Towers house the Bombay Stock Exchange since 1980.
The Bombay Stock Exchange is the oldest exchange in Asia. It traces its history to the 1850s, when four Gujarati and one Parsi stockbroker would gather under banyan trees in front of Mumbai's Town Hall. The location of these meetings changed many times, as the number of brokers constantly increased. The group eventually moved to Dalal Street in 1874 and in 1875 became an official organization known as 'The Native Share & Stock Brokers Association'.
In 1956, the BSE became the first stock exchange to be recognized by the Indian Government under the Securities Contracts Regulation Act. The Bombay Stock Exchange developed the BSE SENSEX in 1986, giving the BSE a means to measure overall performance of the exchange. In