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London Stock Exchange

British company
Also known as: LSE, London Stock Exchange PLC
Written and fact-checked byThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
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1773 - present
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London Stock Exchange (LSE), a London marketplace for securities. After having long been situated closer to the Bank of England and the Royal Exchange, in 2004 the London Stock Exchange relocated elsewhere in the City of London to Paternoster Square. The market was formed in 1773 by several stockbrokers who had been doing business informally in neighbourhood coffeehouses. In 1801 a group of members raised money for the construction of a building in Capel Court, Bartholomew Lane, and rules for the exchange were established soon afterward; the rules subsequently have been amended several times. In 1973 the exchange merged with several regional stock exchanges in Great Britain, and in 1986 its operations were reorganized and an automated price-quotation system introduced.

The exchange became a public limited company, London Stock Exchange PLC, in 2001—the year of its bicentennial. In 2011 it was announced that the LSE and the TMX Group, owner of the Toronto Stock Exchange, had agreed to merge.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Jeff Wallenfeldt.