Brussels Stock Exchange
Encyclopedia
The Brussels Stock Exchange (BSE) was founded in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, by Napoleonic
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
decree in 1801. On September 22, 2000, the BSE merged with Paris Bourse
Paris Bourse
The Paris Bourse is the historical Paris stock exchange, known as Euronext Paris from 2000 onwards.-History and functioning:...
, Lisbon Stock Exchange and the stock exchange
Stock exchange
A stock exchange is an entity that provides services for stock brokers and traders to trade stocks, bonds, and other securities. Stock exchanges also provide facilities for issue and redemption of securities and other financial instruments, and capital events including the payment of income and...
s of Amsterdam
Amsterdam Stock Exchange
The Amsterdam Stock Exchange is the former name for the stock exchange based in Amsterdam. It merged on 22 September 2000 with the Brussels Stock Exchange and the Paris Stock Exchange to form Euronext, and is now known as Euronext Amsterdam.-History:...
, to form Euronext N.V., the first pan-Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an exchange for equities and derivatives
Derivative (finance)
A derivative instrument is a contract between two parties that specifies conditions—in particular, dates and the resulting values of the underlying variables—under which payments, or payoffs, are to be made between the parties.Under U.S...
, with common trading and clearing of all products, and was renamed Euronext Brussels. The most well known index on the Brussels Stock Exchange is the BEL20
BEL20
The BEL20 is the benchmark stock market index of Euronext Brussels. In general, the index consists of a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 companies traded at the Brussels Stock Exchange. Since 20 June 2011, the BEL20 has contained 20 listings.-Rules:...
. It now belongs to the NYSE Euronext group, the first global stock exchange.
The building
The building that houses the Brussels Stock Exchange does not have a distinct name, though it is usually called simply the Bourse. It is located on Boulevard AnspachBoulevard Anspach
Boulevard Anspach or Anspachlaan is a major boulevard in the city centre of Brussels, Belgium, connecting the Place de Brouckère to the Place Fontainas. It is named after Jules Anspach, a former mayor of Brussels. It was built over the river Senne, covering it up, although the river no longer...
, and is the namesake of the Beursplein/Place de la Bourse, which is, after the Grand Place
Grand Place
The Grand Place or Grote Markt is the central square of Brussels. It is surrounded by guildhalls, the city's Town Hall, and the Breadhouse . The square is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in Brussels, along with the Atomium and Manneken Pis...
, the second most important square in Brussels.
As part of the covering of the river Senne for health and aesthetic reasons in the 1860s and 1870s, a massive program of beautification of the city centre was undertaken. Architect Léon-Pierre Suys, as part of his proposal for covering of the Senne, designed a building to become the centre of the rapidly expanding business sector. It was to be located on the former butter market, (itself situated on the ruins of the former Recollets Franciscan convent) on the newly created Anspach Boulevard (then called Central Boulevard).
The building was erected from 1868 to 1873, and mixes elements of the Neo-Renaissance
Neo-Renaissance
Renaissance Revival is an all-encompassing designation that covers many 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Grecian nor Gothic but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of classicizing Italian modes...
and Second Empire architectural styles. It has an abundance of ornaments and sculptures, created by famous artists, including the brothers Joseph and Jacques Jacquet, Guillaume de Groot
Guillaume de Groot
Guillaume de Groot was a Belgian sculptor.Born in Brussels, he trained with sculptor Égide Mélot. His work includes:* figures of Namur and Luxembourg at the arch of the Cinquantenaire in Brussels...
, French sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse
Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse
Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse was a French sculptor and painter.- Life :Carrier-Belleuse was a student of David d'Angers and briefly at the École des Beaux-Arts...
and his then-assistant Auguste Rodin
Auguste Rodin
François-Auguste-René Rodin , known as Auguste Rodin , was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past...
.
See also
- Euro.nmEuro.nmEuro.nm is a pan-European network of regulated markets dedicated to growth companies. Formed on March 1, 1996 by the European Association of European Emerging Exchanges, members of this market network include Euronext Amsterdam, Euronext Paris, Euronext Brussels, Deutsche Börse AG, and Borsa Italiana...
- Euronext 100Euronext 100The Euronext 100 Index is the blue chip index of the pan-European exchange, Euronext NV.It comprises the largest and most liquid stocks traded on Euronext. Each stock must trade more than 20 percent of its issued shares over the course of the rolling one year analysis period. The index is reviewed...
- Euronext Amsterdam
- Euronext LisbonEuronext LisbonEuronext Lisbon is a stock exchange in Lisbon, Portugal. It belongs to the NYSE Euronext group, the first global stock exchange.Euronext Lisbon trades equities, public and private bonds, participation bonds, warrants, corporate warrants, investment trust units, and exchange traded funds...
- Euronext ParisEuronext ParisEuronext Paris is France's securities market, formerly known as the Paris Bourse, which merged with the Amsterdam, Lisbon and Brussels exchanges in September 2000 to form Euronext NV, which is the second largest exchange in Europe behind the UK's London Stock Exchange...