Shanghai Stock Exchange

The Shanghai Stock Exchange was founded in its current form in 1990, though its existence dates all the way back to the 1860s, when securities trading first began in China. The Shanghai Sharebrokers’ Association, set up in 1891, is the precursor to the SSE and was China’s first stock exchange.

The 20th century was an extremely volatile time in China and its stock market had severe ups and (mostly) downs thanks to civil war, invasion, and then a Communist takeover. After Mao’s death in 1976 the Chinese economy began to open up again, and the current iteration of the SSE reopened in 1990.

There are two main indices that track the performance of the Shanghai Stock Exchange; the SSE Composite Index and the SSE 50. 

The SSE Composite Index includes all the shares traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and is a weighted index that’s calculated based on market capitalisation. The SSE 50 is made up of the 50 largest stocks on the exchange based on “float-adjusted” capitalisation, as well as a series of other factors.

The SSE 50 is the SSE’s blue-chip index, featuring giants from the worlds of banking, pharmaceuticals, insurance, construction, and numerous other industries.