MSE - Montreal Stock Exchange

Bourse de Montreal or as it is known in English, Montreal Exchange, is located in Montreal and is a futures exchange or commodities exchange, which means it is a company that provides a marketplace that focuses on trading in derivatives like future contracts and options. Since 1965 you can find the Montreal Exchange located at the Tour de la Bourse or the Stock Exchange Tower, which is Montreal's third-tallest building.

In 1832 the first informal stock exchange was introduced in Canada, in Montrea,l at the Exchange Coffee House . In 1872 it was Lorn MacDougall, Hartland St Clair MacDougall, George Cambell MacDougall, Frank Bond and James Burnett that were behind the creation of the Montreal Stock Exchange. The first Chairman of the Governing Committee to be voted by the shareholders was Lorn MacDougall. Lorn held his position of chairman until 1883 when he poor health made it necessary for him to retire.

The Montreal Stock Exchange grew quickly and by 1910, the trades that were made came to a total of about $2.1 million in comparison to the Toronto Stock Exchange, which only made $900,000. Even though Toronto was growing to be important city, Montreal proved to dominate and was viewed as the metropolis of Canada. Due to the success of the Montreal Stock Exchange, major companies like Montreal Light, Heat and Power, and Dominion Textiles were formed.

In the 70's many financial institutions took up residence in prestigious buildings near St. James Street, which was considered the Wall Street of Canada. The First World War saw Canada's economy skyrocket with an exponential growth topping 3,5 million. A few years later the "Montreal Curb Market" was formed allowing for the speculative and junior stocks to trade. If this proved successful they would be able to apply for a transfer to the main Exchange. In 1953 the Montreal Curb Market was given a new name and is now called the Canadian Stock Exchange. It was only in 1982 that the Montreal Stock Exchange was renamed to the Montreal Exchange.

In 2004, the Montreal Exchange became the only provider of electronic trading systems and support for the Boston Options Exchange. This made the Montreal exchange the first foreign exchange to be held responsible for the technical operations of an American exchange. This contract provides a sizable amount of the Montreal Exchange's revenue. The five of the companies listed with the stock exchange is the Goldcorp Inc., Barrick Gold Corporation, Nexen Inc., Talisman Energy Inc. and Toronto-Dominion Bank.

Quebec's economy is varied and post-industrial with potential to grow. Since 1987 when a free trade agreement was signed between the United States and Canada, Quebec's export to the American market has grown a lot in most sectors. The 2005 GDP was as much as 221,6 billion USD$, which places them as the 38th largest economy in the world. That same year Quebec had a GDP per capita of 29,163 US$. In 2002 the country imported over US$83.363 billion of services and goods and exported US$92.195 billion. Overall about 81% of all Quebec's exports go to the US.

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