NYSE.
In plain English
The New York Stock Exchange is the biggest stock exchange in the world by the value of the companies listed on it. It is a marketplace, both physical and electronic, that matches buyers and sellers of shares and sets the prices you see quoted. Companies list there to raise money and to give investors a place to trade their shares. Its trading hours, typically 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern on weekdays, define a standard US trading day, and its holidays are when US markets close.
01Why it matters
The NYSE is where much of US stock trading happens, so its hours and closures set the rhythm of the market you invest in.
02The math, step by step
You place an order to buy shares of a company listed on the NYSE at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday. The exchange matches your order with a seller and the trade executes at the market price.
03What this is NOT
The NYSE is NOT the Nasdaq. Both are major US exchanges, but they are separate marketplaces with different listed companies and trading systems.