History of the market

The ASX (Australian Stock Exchange Limited) was formed in 1987 by legislation of the Australian Parliament which enabled the amalgamation of six independent stock exchanges that formerly operated in the state capital cities. Each of those exchanges had a history of share trading dating back to the 19th century.

This section of the site provides an overview of the changing nature of the Australian market.

History of ASX - A chronology of key events in ASX's evolution

Centenary of Federation - 1901 and ASX - This information has been compiled by ASX for public interest, using ASX's archives, newspapers and stock exchanges histories.  This includes all material relating to the six stock exchanges that were the precursors of ASX.

Performance of the All Ordinaries since 1900

Share investment performance (1990 - 2000) - ASX commissioned Towers Perrin to report on the performance of various investments on a consistent net basis (i.e. after all costs and taxation) over the 10-year period ended 31 December 2000.

Shareownership in Australia - Australia’s level of share ownership has remained stable over the past 12 months, according to the latest update of the Shareownership Survey.