AMERICAN STOCK EXCHANGE

(AMEX) second largest stock exchange in the United States. Originally known as the Curb because its transactions took place outdoors during much of its existence, the marketplace is believed to have begun about 1849. By 1908 it was known officially as the New York Curb Agency. From 1929 to 1953 it was known as the New York Curb Exchange, and in 1953 its name was changed to its present form. The market first moved indoors in 1921, at a location it still occupies in New York's Wall Street area. For a number of years it was a marketplace for securities not considered reputable enough for listing on the New York Stock Exchange, but it is now considered an equally respectable exchange with its own listing requirements for securities and admissions requirements for members.