The data in this post is extracted from Pocket World in Figures 2018. It contains economic data that provides insights towards understanding the world better. Grab a copy if you are interested.
Here is a list of world largest stock markets ranked according to market capitalization.
| Market | End 2015 ($bn) | End 2016 ($bn) | Diff (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NYSE | 17787 | 19573 | 10.04% |
| Nasdaq - US | 7281 | 7779 | 6.84% |
| Japan Exchange Group | 4895 | 5062 | 3.41% |
| Shanghai SE | 4549 | 4104 | -9.78% |
| London SE Group | 3879 | 3496 | -9.87% |
| Shenzhen SE | 3639 | 3217 | -11.60% |
| Euronext | 3306 | 3493 | 5.66% |
| Hong Kong Exchanges | 3185 | 3193 | 0.25% |
| Deutsche Börse | 1716 | 1732 | 0.93% |
| TMX Group | 1592 | 2042 | 28.27% |
| SIX Swiss Exchange | 1519 | 1415 | -6.85% |
| BSE India | 1516 | 1561 | 2.97% |
| National Stock Exchange of India | 1485 | 1534 | 3.30% |
| NASDAQ OMX Nordic Exchange | 1268 | 1260 | -0.63% |
| Korea Exchange | 1231 | 1282 | 4.14% |
| Australian Securities Exchange | 1187 | 1317 | 10.95% |
| BME Spanish Exchanges | 787 | 711 | -9.66% |
| Taiwan SE Corp. | 745 | 862 | 15.70% |
| Johannesburg SE | 736 | 959 | 30.30% |
| Singapore Exchange | 640 | 649 | 1.41% |
| BM&F BOVESPA | 491 | 774 | 57.64% |
| Saudi SE - Tadawul | 421 | 449 | 6.65% |
| Mexican Exchange | 402 | 334 | -16.92% |
| Moscow Exchange | 393 | 622 | 58.27% |
| Bursa Malaysia | 383 | 363 | -5.22% |
| Indonesia SE | 353 | 434 | 22.95% |
| Stock Exchange of Thailand | 349 | 437 | 25.21% |
| Tel-Aviv SE | 244 | 215 | -11.89% |
| Philippine SE | 239 | 240 | 0.42% |
| Oslo Bors | 194 | 234 | 20.62% |
| Santiago SE | 190 | 212 | 11.58% |
| Borsa Istanbul | 189 | 158 | -16.40% |
| Qatar SE | 143 | 155 | 8.39% |
| Warsaw SE | 138 | 141 | 2.17% |
| Irish SE | 128 | 121 | -5.47% |
| Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange | 112 | 121 | 8.04% |
| Wiener Börse | 96 | 101 | 5.21% |
| Tehran SE | 89 | 101 | 13.48% |
| Colombia SE | 86 | 103 | 19.77% |
| Dubai Financial Market | 84 | - | NA |
| Total | 67667 | 70556 |
Interesting observations
The total market cap for Taiwan Stock Exchange is USD 862 Billion (end of 2016) which is roughly equal to the market cap of Apple (APPL, USD 847 Billion as of 1st of September 2017).
The total market cap for Singapore Exchange is USD 649 Billion (end of 2016) which is roughly equal to the market cap of Alphabet (GOOGL, USD 659 Billion as of 1st of September 2017).
The total market cap for Bursa Malaysia is USD 363 Billion (end of 2016) which is roughly equal to the market cap of Johnson & Johnson (JNJ, USD 351 Billion as of 1st of September 2017).
Final thoughts
Imagine a whole country’s stock market value is represented by a single company. This is incredible but true.
Investing in a single country is similar to investing in a single company. For example, buying stocks in Bursa is like buying Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) stock.
The Bursa Malaysia ONLY represents about 0.51 % (363/70556=0.00514) of the total market capitalization of world top 40 largest stock markets. It is a small fish in a big ocean.