Bombay Stock Exchange

When I say Dalal Street the only place that pops up in my mind is the Bombay Stock Exchange. This stock exchange was established in 1875 and has around 3,500 Indian companies listed with it. It's Asia's largest and oldest stock exchange. It reaches out to 417 cities and towns all over India. BSE as it's popularly called has played an integral role in India's capital market boom as two-third of India's trading volume is handled by BSE itself. Being the World's fifth largest stock exchange it enumerates a market capitalisation of $466 billion. It is the country's first ever stock exchange which got an ISO certification for Surveillance, Clearing & Settlement. It's also India's first stock exchange where equity derivatives got introduced. Here more than 6000 stocks have been listed.

The story behind BSE is very interesting as it's said that once a group of 22 stockbrokers sat under a historic banyan tree and invested 1 rupee each. This informal group gradually went on to form the 'Native Share and Stockbroker's Association' which finally evolved as the Bombay Stock Exchange. The BSE is situated in Phiroze Jeejeebhoy Towers and is a 28 storeys high building. It's nestled between 3 intersection points - Dalal Street, Hamam Street and Bombay Samachar Street. It's a reliable and well organised market which firmly deals with securities. The BSE 30 Sensex is a sensitivity index which is commonly used in various Asian countries. This exchange is now managed by a board of directors which not only supervises and formulates policies but also deals with various other issues. NDTV has even installed a huge screen at this exchange which keeps updating the country about the market's latest condition and stock quotes. The business at BSE takes place daily from Monday to Friday and from 10 am to 5 pm. It remains closed over the weekends. Tourists, especially expatriates love visiting this place to get a better understanding of India's economic growth.