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Each market serves its own purpose in the global economy. Knowing who trades it and why makes it easier to understand why the price moves.
Estimated value of global markets, $ trillion. For forex — daily turnover: it exceeds Germany’s annual GDP.
Estimates as of end-2024: SIFMA, World Federation of Exchanges, World Gold Council, BIS Triennial Survey 2022, CoinGecko. Rounded.
The bloodstream of world trade
Companies pay for imports, tourists exchange money, central banks manage reserves. Exchange rates reflect interest rate differentials and the state of economies.
What drives the price
About 88% of all currency trades involve the US dollar.
Protection from inflation and crises
Gold has been a store of value for millennia. Central banks hold it in reserves, and investors buy it when uncertainty rises.
What drives the price
All the gold ever mined — about 216,000 tonnes — would fit into a cube with sides of roughly 22 metres.
The fuel of the economy
Oil and gas determine the cost of transport, production and heating. Prices react to OPEC+ decisions, inventories and geopolitics.
What drives the price
In April 2020 the WTI oil future traded below zero for the first time in history — around −$37 a barrel.
The economy’s thermometer
An index is a basket of the largest companies. The S&P 500 covers about 80% of US stock market value and is seen as the main economic barometer.
What drives the price
The S&P 500 was launched in 1957; from 2000 to 2024 it more than quadrupled.
Capital for business
Buying a share makes you a co-owner of the company. The price reflects expected future profits, which is why quarterly reports matter so much.
What drives the price
The world’s first shares were issued by the Dutch East India Company in 1602.
New digital assets
Bitcoin was conceived as money without intermediaries. Today crypto is a separate asset class with high volatility and round-the-clock trading.
What drives the price
In January 2024 the first spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds began trading in the US.
Hover over the chart to see yearly values. In Compare mode — what $1,000 would have become.
Year-end values (Brent oil — annual average), rounded. Reference data; past performance does not guarantee future results.
Shares of currencies in global turnover. Each trade involves two currencies, so the total is 200%.
Source: Bank for International Settlements (BIS), Triennial Central Bank Survey, 2022.
Events that shaped modern financial markets.
1602
The Dutch East India Company issues shares and the first stock exchange appears in Amsterdam.
1792
The Buttonwood Agreement of 24 brokers on Wall Street marks the start of the New York Stock Exchange.
1929
The US stock market crash opens the deepest economic crisis of the 20th century.
1944
The dollar is pegged to gold at $35 an ounce, other currencies to the dollar.
1960
Oil-exporting countries unite to influence world prices.
1971
The US stops exchanging dollars for gold. Rates start to float — modern forex is born.
1987
The Dow Jones loses 22.6% in a single day — the largest one-day fall in history.
1999
Eleven European countries adopt a common currency; EUR/USD becomes the most traded pair.
2000
The Nasdaq loses almost 80% over two and a half years after the internet boom.
2008
Lehman Brothers collapses; central banks cut rates almost to zero.
2009
Satoshi Nakamoto launches the bitcoin network — the history of crypto begins.
2020
The fastest market crash in history and an equally fast recovery. WTI oil briefly drops below zero.
2024
Spot bitcoin funds launch in the US and gold sets all-time highs.
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