Bourse de Montreal Definition
The Montreal Stock Exchange began in 1832 as an informal stock exchange at the Exchange Coffee House in Montreal, Canada.
In 1874, the Bourse de Montral/Montreal Stock Exchange was established under Charter, after more than 40 years of informal trading, primarily in railroad and bank securities.
In 1982, the Montreal Stock Exchange changed its name to the Montreal Exchange to reflect the growing importance of financial instruments other than stocks primarily options and futures on its trading floor.
In 1999, the Vancouver, Alberta, Toronto and Montreal exchanges agreed to restructure the Canadian capital markets along the lines of market specialization, resulting in the Montreal Exchange assuming the position of Canadian Derivatives Exchange. Trading in the shares of large companies was transferred to the Toronto Stock Exchange, and in the trading of smaller companies to the new Canadian Venture Exchange. This change, which reflected the economic reality that most equity trading had moved to the TSE, caused consternation among those in favour of political independence for the province of Quebec, because it means that any future independent Quebec would not have its own equities exchange.