SIX Swiss Exchange

SIX Swiss Exchange (formerly SWX Swiss Exchange), based in Zürich, is Switzerland's principal stock exchange (the other being BerneeXchange). SIX also trades other securities such as Swiss government bonds and derivatives such as stock options.

The main stock market index for the SIX Swiss Exchange is the SMI, the Swiss Market Index. The index consists of the 20 most significant equity-securities based on the free float market capitalisation. The Swiss Exchange was the first stock exchange in the world to incorporate a fully automated trading, clearing and settlement system in 1995. The exchange is controlled by an association of 55 banks. Each of these banks have equal voting rights in the matter of decision making concerning the management and regulation of the exchange. SIX is the joint owner of Eurex, the world's largest futures and derivatives exchange along with their German partners Deutsche Börse. In July 2004 however the SIX rejected a merger proposal from the German company that analysts anticipated as profitable for many small companies enlisted on the SIX. The exchange has a blue-chip index as its principal stock market index. The Swiss Market Index (SMI) comprises a maximum of twenty of the largest and most liquid large and mid-cap SPI stocks.

• Replacement of floor trading systems atGeneva (est.1850), Basel (est.1876) and Zürich (est.1873) stock exchanges by fully automated system SWX (1995)
• World's first fully automated trading, clearing and settlement system (est.1995)
• Purchased virt-x cross-border electronic exchange in 2002, which it later renamed SWX Europe.

The exchange's normal trading sessions are from 09:00am to 05:30pm on all days of the week except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays declared by the Exchange in advance.