Bourse

A bourse is a European financial market. Based on the French word for purse, a bourse may be a stock exchange, a futures and options market, or a clearing and settlement entity. The Paris Bourse, the all-electronic French stock market, is probably the most well-known bourse. The world's first bourse was developed in Antwerp, Belgium in the 16th century. Amsterdam hosted the second bourse, and Venice the third. It took another 200 years for the New York Stock Exchange to sprout from 22 Wall Street. A bourse can be found in most European countries. The Federation of European Securities Exchanges represents European bourses and provides avenues for associate members to participate fully in the European financial industry.