History of the Frankfurt stock exchange.
History of the Frankfurt stock exchange begins with the occurrence of medieval fairs. In the middle of 9 centuries king the Louis has given the preferable right to Frankfurt to spend annual autumn fairs. With 1330 when king the Louis IV Bavarian has expanded advantage and has resolved annual spring fairs, the city became the major center of trading and monetary operations.
Already in the beginning of 16 century, owing to the well-known fairs, Frankfurt becomes so prospering, that German monk Martin Luther names city “a silver and gold chink” of German empire.
As a result of flight to Frankfurt of Dutch and French dealers hided from prosecution because of their Protestant belief, in 16 century mass trade and bank sector are established in Frankfurt. Merchants from all parts of the Europe came to Frankfurt to borrow in trade.
Because of that neither in the Europe, nor in the German empire there was no uniform currency, the various countries have been shattered into numerous small economic regions, in each of which there was a monetary unit, realization of payments was the extremely difficult. Abundance of means of the payment, the unregulated exchange rate promoted development of swindle and usury. In 1585 the Frankfurt merchants have agreed about use of the fixed exchange rates of various monetary units. This date is considered the moment of a birth of the Frankfurt stock exchange. With 1585 during each fair the group of merchants periodically gathered for updating uniform and obligatory exchange rates of various monetary units. The first official list of exchange rates has appeared in 1625 the oldest list of exchange rates of the Frankfurt stock exchange, kept up to now, concerns to 1721.
First meetings of merchants were spent on the area in front of the Frankfurt town hall. And only in 1694/1695 there was a first building of a stock exchange in Frankfurt (Großer Braunfels) - the most significant and spacious building of city.
In 1682 have been put into operation the first necessary rules and norms of a stock exchange, the organizational structure of the Frankfurt stock exchange has been generated.
Down to the end of 18 centuries at a stock exchange traded exclusively in coins and bills. Only in the end 18 century begin periodic trade in bonds.
In 1707 at the next assembly the management of a stock exchange has officially approved trading agents - representatives of merchants. In 1808 the Chamber of commerce has been organized. The Frankfurt stock exchange created approximately 223 years ago as private association of businessmen, has turned to public establishment, already in first half of 19 centuries having passed in submission of the Chamber of commerce.
In the middle of 19 centuries the new prestigious building of a stock exchange under the project of the known architect in Frankfurt Friedrich Peiper, located near church St Paul’s Church has been constructed, it was opened in 1843.
Industrial revolution in Germany favored to development of financing of expensive projects through issue of stocks. The first quotation of the stocks is dated 1820 though as a whole the basic place of trade in 19 century was borrowed exclusively with bonds. In comparison with the largest European stock exchanges, the Frankfurt stock exchange treated coldly enough trade in stocks of numerous known corporations. In 1850 the Frankfurt stock exchange was generated as the center of trade mainly by the state bonds and the state interest bearing securities.
The new building of the Frankfurt stock exchange has been arisen in 1879. Construction has been carried out under projects of known architects of Frankfurt - Heinrich Burnitz and Oskar Sommer. Perhaps, this construction was the most successful - functionality of a stock exchange was perfectly combined with its prestige. Besides a new building of the Frankfurt stock exchange.
After unification of Germany in 1871 the Berlin stock exchange began to play the central role in the share market. It became the center of trade of the period when only in Prussia for the period with 1870 on 1974 there were 857 joint-stock companies. And by the end of a century in the country already 29 stock exchanges operated. Despite of it Frankfurt had an opportunity to defend the rights as the center of exchange trade.
In the end of 19 centuries for Frankfurt there was an absolute necessity of adaptation to a general economic situation in the country. With the purpose to keep the prestige of economic capital Frankfurt has changed the policy and has increased trade in stocks. This aspiration of Frankfurt to creation of the present stock exchange has collided with prevalence of the Berlin stock exchange.
The First World War and its consequences have delivered the hardest blow on the Frankfurt stock exchange. Foreign stocks and bonds were sold out to German investors because of fear of aggression from the oppositional states, free money resources were put only in the state bonds. By the end of war all foreign securities have disappeared from German quoted lists, as a result of it Frankfurt has lost the status of the international stock exchange. By the end of war all the international contacts of the Frankfurt stock exchange have been broken off and began to be restored only in 20th years. The short period of stability and well-being was replaced in 1929 by crisis. Economic crisis was and earlier. Same it has appeared unique on depth of falling of manufacture, on scales of scope of economic and on duration. The reason for that is in frustration of economic after the First World War. Fragile was a German economy. In 1931 German stock exchanges have been compelled to stop the functioning temporarily.
Fascist movement has arisen in Germany after the First World War. The German fascism differed extreme nationalism and racism. Fast growth of fascism fell to years of an economic crisis. The economy has been transformed. The state began to adjust it to accelerate an output from crisis and to create a powerful war industry. It has established the control over the prices, wages, has subordinated businessmen to the state bodies. Fascists aspired to establish the control over stock exchanges of some the states. The Frankfurt stock exchange in 1935 has merged with Mannheim Stock Exchange, then having absorbed Rhine - Main Stock Exchange. Frankfurt stock exchange, functioning as “an internal stock exchange”, in essence was not of great importance and did not carry out the major functions. The Nazi economic policy braked development of the free share market.
In 1944 has begun the final stage of the Second World War. The building of the Frankfurt stock exchange has been strongly damaged during an air strike. Meetings of stockbrokers now could be spent only in cellars of a building. After crash of a fascist mode in 1945 the Frankfurt stock exchange remained closed. However in September, 1945 the Frankfurt stock exchange, first of the German stock exchanges, has opened again.
As a result of currency reform 1948 and growing strengthening of the German economy the Frankfurt stock exchange gradually has found the former importance and played the leading part in Germany. After lead in 1992 the Frankfurt stock exchange became connected by reorganization directly not with Commercial and industrial chamber, and with joint-stock company the German stock exchange.
The German stock exchange represents joint-stock company, 81 % of actions belong to banks, 10 % - to regional stock exchanges, 9 % - to brokers. The German stock exchange runs the Frankfurt stock exchange and the German stock exchange of urgent contracts - Eurex. To this joint-stock company belong and are its branches the depositary-clearing system, information system and the Society of assistance to development of stock exchanges in Central and the East Europe.
In May 2000 there was a sensational merge of the London stock exchange to German stock exchange, to formation of a new interethnic stock exchange iX. A trading platform of a new stock exchange became German computer system XETRA. Incorporated stock exchange International Exchanges, or iX, becomes the largest share market in the Europe and serious counterbalance to Wall-Street.