The Stock Exchange (abbreviated as NYSE) is one of the symbols of New York. It is located in the heart of downtown Manhattan, in Wall Street, which is the main reason why the name of the street became synonymous with „the American business and finance leadership”. Founded in 1792, it is the largest stock exchange in the world, with a total market capitalization (the combined value of all the companies whose shares are traded) of $21 trillion (12 zeros!). It is also one of the few stock exchanges left in the world where buying and selling is still done by human stock brokers on the trading floor, rather than by electronic computer programs. The main index of NYSE is the Dow Jones Industrial Average since 1896. Today, it includes the thirty largest companies whose stock is traded at NYSE. The rise and fall of Dow Jones expresses the trends of trading at the Stock Exchange, and therefore it is closely watched by bankers, businessmen and financial experts all over the world.