Nasdaq Helsinki facts for kids

Nasdaq Helsinki is a special place in Helsinki, Finland, where people can buy and sell parts of companies. It's like a big marketplace for company shares. When you buy a share, you own a tiny piece of that company. People buy shares hoping their value will grow over time.

This exchange used to be called the Helsinki Stock Exchange. Since 2003, it has been part of a larger group called Nasdaq Nordic. It's now owned by Nasdaq, Inc., a big company that runs many stock exchanges around the world.

How Nasdaq Helsinki Started

Stock brokers trading in the old stock exchange hall in 1982.

The Helsinki Stock Exchange opened for the very first time on October 7, 1912. Back then, it was a simple financial group. Later, in 1984, it changed into a cooperative. This meant it was owned by the banks and traders who used it.

Moving to Digital Trading

An old electromechanical trading machine from the Helsinki Stock Exchange, 2013.

A big change happened on April 1, 1990. The exchange started using a new computer system called HETI. This system allowed people to trade shares using computers instead of old machines. Before HETI, traders used electro-mechanical systems that were much slower.

The HETI system made trading much faster and fairer. It meant that people trading from far away could buy and sell shares just as easily as those who were in the trading room itself.

Growing and Merging

The record of the first day of trading at the Helsinki Stock Exchange on October 7, 1912.

In 1995, the cooperative became a limited liability company. This is a common way for businesses to be set up. Over the next few years, the exchange grew by joining with other financial companies. It also bought the stock exchanges in Tallinn (Estonia) and Riga (Latvia).

On September 3, 2003, the Helsinki exchange joined with OM AB, which owned the Stockholm Stock Exchange. This new company was first called OM HEX, then later OMX. In 2008, NASDAQ bought OMX. That's how the Helsinki exchange became known as Nasdaq Helsinki.

Understanding the OMX Helsinki 25 Index

The OMX Helsinki 25 (OMXH25) is a very important number for Nasdaq Helsinki. It's like a report card for the stock market. This index looks at the 25 biggest and most actively traded companies on the exchange. It shows how well these top companies are doing overall. If the index goes up, it usually means the market is doing well. The OMXH25 used to be called HEX25.

Trading Hours

Nasdaq Helsinki is open for trading from 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM. It is open on most weekdays. It closes on Saturdays, Sundays, and certain holidays. The exchange announces these holidays in advance.

See also

• Nasdaq Copenhagen
• Nasdaq Stockholm
• Nasdaq Nordic
• Nasdaq Vilnius
• Nasdaq Riga
• Nasdaq Tallinn
• Nasdaq Iceland
• Nasdaq First North
• List of Finnish companies
• List of Ålandic companies