(i) There are 24 stock exchanges in the country, with 21 of them being regional in nature.
(ii) Three others that have been set up in the reforms era, viz., National Stock Exchange (NSE), the Over the Counter Exchange of India Limited (OTCEI) and Interconnected Stock Exchange of India Limited (ISE) have mandate to nationwide trading network.
(iii) The ISE has been promoted by 15 regional stock exchanges in the country and is based at Mumbai.
(iv) The ISE provides a member-broker of any of these stock exchanges an access into the national market segment.
(v) The NSE, OTCEI, ISE and majority of the regional stock exchanges have adopted the Screen Based Trading System (SBTS) to provide automated and modern facilities for trading in a transparent, fair and open manner with access to investors across the country.

(i) Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL):
(a) The Stock Holding Corporation of India Ltd (SHCIL) is committed to speed up trading, clearance and settlement services for securities and monetary instruments.
(b) SHCIL is the first depository participant registered with SEBI and acts as an agent of the National Securities Depository.
(ii) National Clearance and Depository system (NCDS):
(a) This system was created chiefly to help overcome the problem of settlement and clearance of transactions consequent to enormous workload on the clearing agencies and share transfer agencies.
(b) The problems mainly arose out of systematic risk like counter party risk, credit risk, bad deliveries, long delayed delivery, counterfeit scrips, and forged scrips.
(iii) Securities Trading Corporation of India (STCI):
(a) The main objective of establishing the Corporation was to foster the development of an active secondary market for Government securities and bonds issued by public sector undertakings.
(b) It had an authorized and paid-up capital of Rs. 500 crores of which, RBI contributed 50.18 percent.
(iv) National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL):
(a) National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) was inaugurated as the first depository in India on November 8, 1996.
(b) Trading in dematerialized securities on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) commenced in December 26,1996.

Speculators in a stock market are of different types. They carry their names depending on their motive of trading in the stock exchange. Types of speculators are as follows:
(i) Bull:
(a) A Bull or Tejiwala is an operator who expects a rise in prices of securities in the future.
(b) He is called bull because just like a bull tends to throw his victim up in the air, the bull speculator stimulates the price to rise.
(c) He is an optimistic speculator.
(ii) Bear:
(a) A bear or Mandiwala speculator expects prices to fall in future and sells securities at present with a view to purchase them at lower prices in future.
(b) A bear usually presses its victim down to ground.
(c) A bear is a pessimistic speculator.
(iii) Stag:
(a) A stag is a cautious speculator in the stock exchange.
(b) He selects those companies whose shares are in more demand and are likely to carry a premium.
(c) He sells the shares before being called to pay the allotment money. He is also called a premium hunter.
(iv) Lame Duck:
(a) When a bear finds it difficult to fulfill his commitment, he is said to be struggling like a lame duck.
(b) A bear speculator contracts to sell I securities at a later date.
(c) On the appointed time he is not able to get the securities as the holders are not willing to part with them.

As of 2016, there are 60 stock exchanges in the world. Of these, there are 16 exchanges with a market capitalization of dollar1 trillion or more, and they account for 87% of global market capitalization. Apart from the Australian Securities Exchange, these 16 exchanges are all in North America, Europe, or Asia.

Lombard Street
(i) Lombard Street, London, is a street notable for its connections with the City of Londons merchant, banking and insurance industries, stretching back to medieval times.
(ii) From Bank junction, where nine streets converge by the Bank of England, Lombard Street runs southeast for a short distance before bearing left into a more easterly direction. 
Wall Street
(i) Wall Street is a street in lower Manhattan that is the original home of the New York Stock Exchange and the historic headquarters of the largest U.S. brokerages and investment banks.
(ii) The term Wall Street is also used as a collective name for the financial and investment community, which includes stock exchanges and large banks, brokerages, securities and underwriting firms, and big businesses.
(iii) Today, brokerages are geographically diverse, allowing investors free access to the same information available to Wall Streets tycoons.