LSE – London Stock Exchange

The London Stock Exchange (LSE) was founded in 1801 and has grown to be one of the largest in the world with over 2,800 companies listed upon it.

The exchange itself actually comprises of the Main Market – listing the larger and more prestigious companies with a market capitalisation of more than £3,500bn – and the Alternative Investments Market (AIM) – which functions to represent the small cap growth market.

The LSE‘s former building was located on Threadneadle Street in the heart of the City of London or the Square Mile (Londons financial district) and was opened in 1972. It consisted of a formal trading floor where stocks were exchanged face to face. This became largely redundant however in October 1987 when the Big Bang shook up the UK’s financial industry by deregulating many of the LSE‘s activities.

The LSE was to move again in 2004 to Paternoster Square which is still in the Cities Square Mile.

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