An exchange is an organised marketplace where buyers and sellers come together to trade financial instruments. Exchanges set the rules, provide the infrastructure, and ensure that trades are executed fairly and efficiently.
Traditional Regulated Exchanges
- CME Group — Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The world’s largest derivatives exchange. Home to NQ, ES, CL, GC futures and hundreds more contracts.
- NYSE — New York Stock Exchange. The world’s largest stock exchange by market capitalisation.
- Nasdaq — Technology-heavy stock exchange, home to Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, and thousands more.
- LSE — London Stock Exchange. The primary UK stock market.
Crypto Exchanges
- Coinbase — US-regulated, beginner-friendly interface
- Binance — The world’s largest crypto exchange by trading volume
- Kraken — Regulated in multiple jurisdictions, widely used across Europe
Regulated exchanges like CME are overseen by government bodies (the CFTC in the US). Crypto exchanges vary enormously — always check the regulatory status and security record of any exchange before depositing funds.
How Exchanges Work
Exchanges use an order book — a live list of all buy and sell orders at various price levels. When a buyer’s price matches a seller’s price, a trade executes instantly. This happens millions of times per day on major exchanges. When you trade via TradingView or a broker platform, you’re accessing these order books.
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