The major American stocks on the stock market
To invest in the American market, discover the list of the main shares quoted in the USA. Before buying or selling US stocks, it is advisable to find out about the stock and analyse its price.
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In which markets can you buy or sell American stocks?
Before you start buying or selling the largest US stocks, it is important to be familiar with the stock markets on which they are listed. This is what we propose here with a reminder of the different American stock markets.
The United States has a very large number of stock markets, but we will only focus here on those on which the major shares of this country are listed. These are the two largest markets in the United States, namely the NYSE for New York Stock Exchange, on which the shares of the country's largest companies are listed, including the famous Coca-Cola and Boeing shares, and the NASDAQ market for the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System, which reflects the country's largest technological stocks such as Microsoft, Intel, Google and Cisco shares. The NASDAQ is a somewhat specific market since it often includes relatively recent but very fast growing technology stocks. However, there are also actions from companies in very different sectors. Indeed, what attracts companies to this stock market is that the rules imposed on financial information are much less restrictive here than in other financial markets.
Whether it is the NYSE market, the NASDAQ market or any other American market, the opening hours of these exchanges are the same. Thus, American stocks are listed every day between 3:30 pm and 10 pm in French time. However, and thanks to systems such as the Electronic Communication Network, which replaces the traditional market, these schedules are extended. We can therefore summarize by saying that you can buy or sell these shares whenever you want, but that it is during these hours that American securities will show the greatest volatility.
Finally, it should be noted that the American stock markets are controlled by an official body called the SEC (Securities Exchange Commission), which is the American equivalent of the French AMF. You can therefore contact this organization if you have a problem with a broker or in one of the American markets mentioned above.
Stock market indices on which to find the major American stocks:
If you're not sure which U.S. stock to look for, consider stocks whose companies are part of a major U.S. stock index. These stocks have better liquidity than other companies and allow for more analysis based on the wealth of information you can find online about these companies. Analysts are also very interested in these stocks and are therefore frequently called upon to provide market signals and analysis regarding the development of their share price.
The focus here will be on benchmark stock market indices such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is the index linked to the NYSE market and also known as Dow Jones. There are 30 companies that are among the largest in the United States. However, some securities listed on the NASDAQ are also listed on it, such as Microsoft shares or Intel shares. The Dow Jones Index was created in 1896 and originally had only 12 stocks, then 20 in 1916 and 30 in 1928. It is therefore one of the oldest stock market indices in the world and still remains one of the most popular in the eyes of investors, as are its component stocks.
It should be noted that the Dow Jones index can also be found in different forms with, for example, the Dow Jones Transportation Average which, as its name suggests, reflects values specifically from the transport sector or the Dow Jones Utilities Average which reflects values from the energy sector.
Another benchmark stock index on which you can find the major American stocks is the NASDAQ. As its name suggests, it reflects the largest securities listed on the market of the same name, the NASDAQ. But this index is not only
How to buy and sell major US stocks?
Investing in US stocks is not as easy as investing in European stocks.
So if you want to build up a portfolio of US stocks on the stock market, it is best to opt for an ordinary securities account or CTO. This type of account will give you access to all the world's geographic zones, including Europe, the United States, Latin America and Asia. In the context of a classic stock market investment, this is the account you should favour.
It is also possible to invest in the US equity market by investing in mutual funds, which are professionally managed funds with a basket of securities. Some of these funds may contain only US stocks and others a mix of international stocks. The risk varies from one fund to another but this type of investment product allows for a more diversified investment.
Finally, another solution for investing in the price of US stocks is to buy or sell them with derivatives. Among the most popular of these products are CFDs or contracts for difference. These can be used online and involve trading on the rise or fall of a US share price. The gain or loss for the trader is represented by the difference in price between the buy and sell price. Of course, these instruments do not require you to physically hold the shares.
