Korea Exchange (KRX)
What it is:
The Korea Exchange (KRX) is the only securities exchange in South Korea. The KRX is headquartered in the city of Busan.
How it works/Example:
The Korea Exchange is a consolidation of the Korean Stock Exchange, the KOSDAQ stock market and the Korea Futures Exchange. In 2010, the exchange had a total volume of 3.75 trillion contracts traded. It contains an electronic platform for the trading equities, bonds and derivatives.
Why it matters:
The Korea Exchange is perhaps best known for being the world's largest derivatives exchange by trading volume. It also has agreements with other leading derivatives exchanges like Eurex and the CME Group for the distribution of its derivatives.
On the whole, the Korea Exchange has been experiencing rapid growth. The exchange's options are considered the most liquid derivatives in the world and 3.5 billion of them were reported to have been traded during 2010.