About the Frankfurt Stock Exchange
The Frankfurt Stock Exchange is the 12th largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalisation – with the total value of the stocks traded on the exchange being in the region of $1.9 trillion. It is also known in German as FWB Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse. The Frankfurt Stock Exchange is highly regarded for its international listings, and other than the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market, it has more trading volume than any other exchange in the world.
On this page, you’ll find a breakdown of the exchange’s history, information about relevant indices that track the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, and the companies whose stocks are traded on the exchange.
About the Frankfurt Stock Exchange
The roots of the Frankfurt Stock exchange stretch as far back as the 11th century, when the city was alive with the medieval trade fairs that boosted the economy. As Frankfurt’s reputation for trading increased, traders from the Netherlands and France came to the German city and over time, the economy prospered thanks to the increased financial services and trades that were established.
The exchange was founded in 1585, when merchants congregated in the city to establish exchange rates between the regional currencies. During the centuries that followed, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange grew, and became one of the major international players, alongside Paris and London.
Like much of Europe, it was hit hard by the events of WW1 and WW2, and for a while, Frankfurt lost its standing as an international stock exchange, but when Nazi rule ceased, trading began again in 1949 and the city established itself as one of Germany’s leading stock exchanges.
When the digital era arrived in 1969, Frankfurt’s traders began to process transactions electronically using the BÖGA system. By 1997, everything began to be performed digitally thanks to Xetra, the revolutionary electronic trading system that is still in operation today.
What are the main indices that track the performance of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange?
There are a number of indices used to track the performance of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. These include TecDAX, CDAX, and EuroStoxx 50. However, it is the Deutscher Aktieninde, also known as DAX 30, that is the most popular one used today. This tracks the value of the 30 blue-chip companies listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and is seen as the measure for the country’s overall equity market.
How many stocks are listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange?
Company stocks from more than over 80 countries are listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, with 40% from North America, 31% from Russia, 14% from Asia, and 6% from Africa and Australia. The number of companies listed fluctuates all the time, but in terms of North America, for example, there are now over 3,300 listed companies on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. As of March 2020, the Domestic Shares data was reported at €1,431,248.020 EUR mn.
Some of the main companies listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange include major car companies, including BMW, and a number of former state monopolies, including Deutsche Bank and Deutsche Telekom.