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Historical Timeline

1852

A group of Toronto businessmen met on October 24,1852 with the intention of forming an "Association of Brokers". The association created that day established the framework for Toronto Stock Exchange

1861-1901

In 1861, a resolution was passed by the association to formally create the Toronto Stock Exchange. In its early years, Toronto Stock Exchange trading volume was very light, amounting to two or three transactions daily. Trading hours were limited to daily half-hour sessions and the trading list consisted of 18 securities. The cost of membership was $5.00. By 1871, Toronto Stock Exchange had 14 member firms -- each paid $250 to purchase a seat.

Toronto Stock Exchange became formally incorporated by an Act of the Ontario Legislature.

The price of a Toronto Stock Exchange seat or membership rose to $12,000. Trading volume approached 1 million shares per year and 100 companies were listed.

1913-1921

The Exchange built and moved into its own building on Bay Street. Technological advances led to the introduction of the first print-out-ticker which carried a series of trading prices as well as bid and ask offering quotations.

The fear of financial panic when World War I was declared prompted The Toronto Stock Exchange to cease operations for three months, beginning July 28, 1914.

As corporate profits rose during that war, so did stock prices. The 1918 Armistice marked the beginning of a highly speculative and inflationary period in the economy. This was followed, in 1919, by a recession characterized by sharp declines in commodity prices.

1922-1937

Canadian corporations issued securities worth more than $700 million. The number of shares traded in 1924 was 908,000. Five years later, the number of shares traded grew to over 10 million a year.

After the stock market crash in 1929, a worldwide depression inflicted financial hardship on Canadians. In the United States over 2000 investment and brokerage firms closed. No Toronto Stock Exchange members defaulted on their obligations to clients.

In 1934, Toronto Stock Exchange merged with its key competitor, The Standard Stock and Mining Exchange. The merged markets adopted the name, Toronto Stock Exchange and became North America’s third largest exchange in 1936.

In 1937, Toronto Stock Exchange moved to a new facility at 234 Bay St., the first building in Toronto to have air conditioning.

1955-1960

In 1955, the price of Toronto Stock Exchange membership was $100,000 and a record 1 billion shares traded worth $2.6 billion.

For the first time, in 1958, the Toronto Stock Exchange Board of Governors required listed companies to file statements disclosing any change in the company's affairs, which might affect the price of its shares.

Lieutenant General of Ontario, Howard D. Graham, became the first outsider to be appointed President of Toronto Stock Exchange in 1960. All prior presidents were appointed from Member Firms.

 


1977

J. Pearce Bunting was named the President of Toronto Stock Exchange. He held that position for 18 years, the longest tenure of any Toronto Stock Exchange President.

Toronto Stock Exchange launched the world's first Computer Assisted Trading System (CATS™). The same year the TSE 300 Composite Index™ was launched.

 

1983

The Exchange built and moved into its own building on Bay Street. Technological advances led to the introduction of the first print-out-ticker which carried a series of trading prices as well as bid and ask offering quotations.

The fear of financial panic when World War I was declared prompted The Toronto Stock Exchange to cease operations for three months, beginning July 28, 1914.

As corporate profits rose during that war, so did stock prices. The 1918 Armistice marked the beginning of a highly speculative and inflationary period in the economy. This was followed, in 1919, by a recession characterized by sharp declines in commodity prices.

 

1987

On October 19, 1987, stock markets around the world suffered a major correction. The TSE 300 Composite Index dropped more than 400 points in very active trading.

 

 

 

1990

The Toronto 35 Index® and the world’s first ETF the Toronto 35 Index Participation Fund was created.

1995-1997

Rowland W. Fleming was named President of Toronto Stock Exchange, replacing Pearce Bunting. He served as President for four years.

Toronto Stock Exchange became the first exchange in North America to introduce decimal trading.

Toronto Stock Exchange became the largest stock exchange in North America to choose a floorless, electronic (or virtual trading) environment when its trading floor closed.

 
1999-2001

Toronto Stock Exchange announced the appointment of Barbara G. Stymiest to the position of President & Chief Executive Officer. She became the first female president of a North American stock exchange.

Through a realignment plan of Canadian exchanges, Toronto Stock Exchange became Canada’s sole exchange for the trading of senior equities. The Montreal Exchange assumed responsibility for the trading of derivatives and the Vancouver and Alberta Stock Exchanges merged to form Canadian Venture Exchange® (CDNX®) handling trading in junior equities. The Canadian Dealing Network, Winnipeg Stock Exchange, and the equities portion of the Montréal Exchange later merged with CDNX.

Toronto Stock Exchange obtained Royal Assent from the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario to convert the Exchange into a for-profit organization.

The demutualization process was completed when The Toronto Stock Exchange Inc. became a for-profit company, on April 3, 2000. Toronto Stock Exchange opened an office in Montreal.

Toronto Stock Exchange completed an overhaul of its trading platform. Toronto Stock Exchange completed the acquisition of the Canadian Venture Exchange (CDNX) in 2001, and renamed it TSX Venture Exchange® in 2002. TSX Venture Exchange stock list migrated to Toronto Stock Exchange’s trading platform in December 2001.

The S&P/CDNX Index was launched on December 10, 2001. The Index was renamed S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index* in May 2002.

 

 

 

 

 

2002-2008

In April 2002, The Toronto Stock Exchange Inc. re-branded its organization and adopted the acronym TSX®.

Standard and Poor’s agreed to take over management of the Toronto Stock Exchange 300 Composite Index. It was later renamed the S&P/TSX Composite Index*.

In September 2002, TSX Group Inc. filed a preliminary prospectus for an initial public offering of its common shares, as the holding company of TSX Inc.

In November 2002,TSX Group Inc. became a public company with shares listed on its own exchange.

In January 2003, TSX Group Inc. declared its first quarterly dividend as a public company.

On March 1, 2004, TSX Group acquired NGX Canada Inc., an electronic exchange that trades and clears natural gas and electricity contracts, for $38-million.

In December 2004, Richard Nesbitt was named CEO of TSX Group Inc.

In May 2005, TSX shareholders approved a 2 for 1 stock split.

On December 10, 2007, Montréal Exchange Inc. and TSX Group Inc. announced an agreement to combine organizations to create TMX Group.

In January 2008, CEO Richard Nesbitt resigned. Rik Parkhill and Michael Ptasznik were named Interim Co-CEOs.

In May 2008, the combination of TSX Group and Montréal Exchange was completed.

In June 2008, TSX Group Inc. was renamed TMX Group Inc. with the approval of shareholders.

In July 2008, Thomas Kloet became CEO of TSX Group.

 

2011

On February 9, 2011, London Stock Exchange Group Plc and TMX Group Inc. announced plans to join forces in a merger of equals.

On May 8, 2011, the Maple Group Acquisition Corporation announced its intention to make a competing bid for TMX Group valued at $48 per share (subsequently increased to $50 per share).

On June 29, 2011, TMX Group and LSEG announced that they agreed to terminate their merger agreement.

On October 30, 2011, TMX Group Inc. and Maple Group Acquisition Corporation announced that they entered into a support agreement in respect of Maple’s proposed acquisition of all of the outstanding TMX Group shares pursuant to an integrated two-step transaction valued at approximately $3.8 billion.

2012

On July 31, 2012, Maple and TMX Group Inc. announced that all of the conditions to Maple's offer to acquire up to 80% of the TMX Group shares (including the receipt of all regulatory approvals) had been satisfied.

On August 1, 2012, Maple announced the completion of the takeover of CDS and Alpha.

On August 10, 2012, Maple and TMX Group Inc announced the completion of the offer to acquire 80% of the shares of TMX Group Inc. On the same day, Maple changed its name to TMX Group Limited.

On September 14, 2012, the second step of the transaction was completed. TMX Group Limited acquired the remaining outstanding publicly held shares of TMX Group Inc.) in exchange for common shares of TMX Group Limited, on a one-for-one basis. The common shares of TMX Group Inc., were delisted.

On September 19, 2012, common shares of TMX Group Limited began trading on Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol X.

2014

In March 2014, Thomas Kloet announced that he would retire as CEO of TMX Group.

In November 2014, Lou Eccleston was appointed as CEO of TMX Group.

2015

In June 2015, TMX Group announced a realignment of the organization around strategic pillars, in order to achieve its new vision of being a technology-driven service provider that puts clients first.

 

2017

In October 2017, TMX Group announced an agreement to acquire London-based Trayport, the primary connectivity network and data analytics platform for European wholesale energy markets. As part of the transaction, TMX Group sold both NGX and Shorcan Energy Brokers. The transaction closed in December 2017.

 

2020

On January 10, 2020, Lou Eccleston announced that he was retiring as CEO. John McKenzie, Chief Financial Officer, was also appointed as Interim CEO.

In the first quarter of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had an unprecedented impact on market and general economic conditions. Heightened volatility resulted in significantly higher trading and clearing volumes for both cash equities markets as well as for derivative markets.

In May 2020, TMX Group published their inaugural Environmental, Social, and Governance Report.

In August 2020, John McKenzie was appointed CEO. Frank DiLiso was appointed as interim CFO.

In September 2020, TMX Group announced an agreement to acquire AST Investor Services Inc. (Canada) and its subsidiary AST Trust Company (Canada), a leading provider of transfer agency, corporate trust and related services to Canadian public and private companies.

In December 2020, we completed construction of TMX Market Centre, a state-of-the-art modern digital facility located at the base of our Toronto headquarters.

 

2021

In February 2021, Toronto Stock Exchange listed the World’s First Bitcoin ETF

In June 2021, David Arnold was appointed as CFO.

In August 2021, we completed the acquisition of AST Investor Services Inc. (Canada) and its subsidiary AST Trust Company (Canada), a leading provider of transfer agency, corporate trust, and related services.

2024

In January 2024, we completed the acquisition of the remaining approximately 78% of the common units of VettaFi Holdings LLC (VettaFi), a leading US-based, indexing, digital distribution, analytics and thought leadership company. TMX Group made strategic investments in VettaFi in the first half of 2023 for approximately 22% of the common units.

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