What are the Differences Between All These Exchanges (What are the CME, CBOT, COMEX, etc.)?

    An over simplified view of the different exchanges is to imagine each exchange as a supermarket. Some supermarkets only carry certain brands of items just like certain exchanges only carry certain commodities or other investments. For instance the NYSE or New York Stock Exchange deals primarily with stocks.  While the CME or Chicago Mercantile Exchange deals primarily with "farm" type goods (live cattle, feeder cattle, pork bellies). There are different stock and commodity exchanges just like there are different supermarkets. You can "shop" for stocks at the New York Stock Exchange or the American Stock Exchange, but each deals with different stocks. The same is true for commodity exchanges: you can shop at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) but you can not buy the same commodity at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME).

    See our directory page to visit some of the exchanges web sites to find out more about them.

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