Nasdaq, the world's first fully electronic stock market, was founded in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) and now stands as the second-largest exchange globally by market capitalization. Since its launch, it has become the primary listing venue for tech giants like Intel and Comcast, while also attracting heavy foreign listings, particularly from China and Israel. A key milestone came in 1998 when it became the first U.S. exchange to offer online trading, and in 2002 it listed its own shares publicly under the ticker NDAQ. After merging with Nordic operator OMX in 2007, the exchange expanded its global footprint, and by December 31, 2024, it hosted over 4,000 companies. Its performance is tracked by famous indices like the Nasdaq Composite and Nasdaq-100, making it a barometer for the tech sector.