Q.What is a Stock Exchange? Explain its functions.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →A stock exchange is an organised, regulated secondary market where existing securities are traded between buyers and sellers through registered members (brokers). It performs five broad functions: giving securities liquidity and marketability, discovering fair and continuous prices, protecting investors, mobilising long-term savings into productive investment, and acting as a barometer of the economy.
Meaning
A stock exchange is an institution that provides a ready and continuous market for the purchase and sale of existing (already issued) securities — equity shares, preference shares, debentures and government bonds. It does not create new securities; it allows investors to transfer ownership of securities already in circulation. Trading takes place only in listed securities and only through registered members called brokers, under strict rules framed by the exchange and the market regulator (SEBI). Well-known examples are the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE).
This is a core topic for TS Intermediate 2nd-year Commerce students, and the TS commerce syllabus here aligns closely with the NCERT/CBSE commerce curriculum on financial markets.
Functions of a Stock Exchange
- Provides liquidity and marketability to securities. An investor who has bought shares can sell them easily and convert them into cash whenever needed. This ready convertibility encourages people to invest.
- Pricing of securities (price discovery). The continuous interaction of demand and supply on the exchange fixes a fair market price for each security and keeps that price moving with company performance and economic conditions.
- Safety of transactions. Trading is governed by well-defined rules, listing requirements and regulation by SEBI, which protects investors from fraud and ensures that dealings are fair and transparent.
- Contributes to economic growth / capital formation. By channelling the scattered savings of millions of investors into industry and government securities, the exchange helps mobilise long-term capital and promotes investment in the most productive sectors. …
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