Santiago Stock Exchange facts for kids
| Santiago Stock Exchange | |
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Quick facts for kids
Bolsa de Comercio de Santiago
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| Santiago Stock Exchange logo.svg | |
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| Type | Stock exchange |
| Location | [[Santiago, Chile]], |
| Founded | November 27, 1893 |
| Owner | MILA |
| Key people | José Antonio Martínez Zuggarramurdi (CEO) Pablo Yrarrázaval Valdés (Chairman) |
| No. of listings | 268 |
| MarketCap | US$ 269 billion (08/2013) |
| Indexes | IPSA |
| Website | bolsadesantiago.com |
The Santiago Stock Exchange (SSE), also known as the Bolsa de Comercio de Santiago, is a very important place in Chile. It was started on November 27, 1893. It is the main stock exchange in Chile. It is also the third largest stock exchange in Latin America. Only Brazil's BM&F Bovespa and the Bolsa Mexicana de Valores are bigger.
On December 5, 2014, the Santiago Stock Exchange joined a special group. This group is called the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative. It became the 17th stock exchange to join this important effort.
Contents
What is Traded at the Exchange?
The Santiago Stock Exchange is where different types of investments are bought and sold. These include stocks, which are small parts of a company. When you buy a stock, you own a tiny piece of that company.
Other things traded here are bonds. Bonds are like loans you give to a company or government. They pay you back with interest. Investment funds are also traded. These are collections of different stocks or bonds.
The exchange also handles stock options and futures. These are agreements to buy or sell something at a set price later. Even gold and silver coins from the Banco Central de Chile are traded. US dollars are traded on its electronic system called Telepregón.
How Trading Works
Most trading at the Santiago Stock Exchange happens on computer screens. This is called screen trading. However, buying and selling shares of companies also happens on a trading floor. This is where people meet in person. This floor trading happens at the same time as screen trading.
When you buy or sell shares, the deal is usually finished in two days. This is called T+2 settlement. The stock exchange is open every day during the week. It is closed on weekends and financial holidays. The leaders of the exchange decide the exact hours. Usually, it is open from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM in winter. In summer, it stays open until 5:00 PM.
Important Stock Market Indexes
The Santiago Stock Exchange publishes three main indexes. These indexes are like report cards for the stock market. They show how well different groups of stocks are doing.
- The General Stock Price Index (Indice General de Precios de Acciones, or IGPA) measures how prices change for most stocks listed on the exchange. It groups stocks by what kind of business they do. This index started with a value of 100 on December 30, 1980.
- The Selective Stock Price Index (Indice de Precios Selectivo de Acciones, or IPSA) includes the 40 stocks that are traded the most often. This list is checked and updated every three months.
- The Inter-10 Index looks at the 10 main Chilean stocks that are also listed in other countries. These stocks are chosen from the IPSA index. This index is also updated every three months. You can also trade futures based on the IPSA index and the U.S. dollar.
The Exchange Building
The building where the Santiago Stock Exchange is located has an interesting history. It was built on land that used to belong to a group of nuns called the Augustinian nuns. Other famous buildings in Santiago, like the Club de la Unión and the Edificio Ariztía, were also built on their land. The Iglesia de las Agustinas church shows where they used to be. The stock exchange building was finished in 1917.
See also
In Spanish: Bolsa de Comercio de Santiago para niños
- Bolsa Electrónica de Chile (Santiago Electronic Stock Exchange)
- List of stock exchanges
- List of American stock exchanges
