So, you know that the NYSE was started by a bunch of guys on the edge of town under a tree? The key was they were located at the heart of the business district,

So, you know that the NYSE was started by a bunch of guys on the edge of town under a tree? The key was they were located at the heart of the business district, where the transactions were occurring. This has been true and crucial since the early days of "finance", since back in medieval and Renaissance times when merchant houses (as in 'establishments', not actual buildings) exchanged debt and eventually stock. As to the US stock market being "fairly transparent and not run by the whims of the government", check your history man. The US stock market has seen some crazy wild, stock manipulation, insider trading, government manipulating, bucket shop, boiler room, "oops, we have too much paper to process so shut the whole thing down" days. And, I should add, those days aren't over. The mess is still all there, it's just much more sophisticated and comes with a better staffed and better funded marketing department.