Comparison of NYSE and Nasdaq stock exchange characteristics and metrics

Stock Exchanges

NYSE & NASDAQ

Generally speaking, and with many notable exceptions, the fundamental difference between the companies listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ is that the NASDAQ is home to many technology firms and other more volatile companies, while the NYSE is where most of the major industrial companies and so-called "blue-chip" companies are traded. There is a broad price range and performance record for the stocks of both exchanges, and their ups and downs are most often in alignment (increasingly so as the period of examination is extended), meaning that the perceived differences and the real differences in the companies that make up each exchange might be exaggerated in terms of the effect they have on the actual performance of the stocks being traded. A look at two individual companies, each listed on one of these exchanges, yields more contrast than an overview of each exchange.

Tim Hortons, Inc., a Canadian-based donut and coffee chain, is traded on the NYSE under the symbol THI. On September 13th, 2011, THI stock had a closing price of $45.92, a 52-week price range of $35.80 to $51.04, and a volume of 481,700 was traded; the P/E Ratio was 12.39 and the Earnings-per-share were $3.71. On the Nasdaq, the chip maker Nvidia (which trades as NVDA) is a fairly typical stock in many ways; the same figures for this stock on the same date of September 13th are a closing price of $14.52, 52-week price range of $10.30 to $26.17, trading volume of 44,257,800, a P/E Ratio of 16.17 and Earnings-per-share of $0.90. Tim Hortins trades at a higher price with much higher earnings and at a lower volume; Nvidia is more volatile and has a much higher trading volume with lower earnings and a higher P/E Ratio.

The balance sheet of a given company tells us about its current liquidity -- what its assets are compared to its liabilities and its equity. In other words, the balance sheet breaks down (into rather large components) the various holdings of the company in terms of its cash, property and equipment, collectable accounts, and other elements of the company worth a real dollar value, compared with the companies outstanding debts, losses from depreciation, and the amount of money that has been invested in the company from its owners -- the equity it would need to theoretically pay back to investors if the company were to sell all of its assets to pay its liabilities. The general rule of accounting is that assets always equals liabilities plus equity. The income statement helps to inform the balance sheet to some degree by presenting information regarding how money comes into and goes out of the company, listing (again in rather large components) the sources and amounts of revenue as well as the expenses that the company incurs during its operations. This can help investors determine how profitable the company is and is likely to be, based on how revenues compare to expenses and what projections are for changes in both areas of the income statement.