Explore ASX listed companies

The Australian Stock Exchange was established in 1987, with the passing of legislation by Australian Parliament which enabled the amalgamation of six independent state-based stock exchanges: Melbourne (est. 1861), Sydney (1871), Hobart (1882), Brisbane (1884), Adelaide (1887) and Perth (1889).

Then the Australian Stock Exchange merged with the Sydney Futures Exchange in 2006 to become the Australia Securities Exchange. The official name is ASX Limited but it’s most commonly referred to by the three letter code ASX.

As of July 2024, the market cap of all companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange combined is $2.9t; the total number of ASX-listed entities is 2,154.

The most traded companies on the ASX on the Stake platform for 2024 (data as of 31 July 2024) are:

• DroneShield Limited ($DRO)
• Pilbara Minerals Limited ($PLS)
• BHP Group Limited ($BHP)
• Zip Co Limited ($ZIP)
• Fortescue Ltd ($FMG)

If you're interested in these companies, learn more about how to buy Australian shares.

See our list of the top gainers on the ASX to discover stocks that have gone up today, updated daily. Also check out the biggest losers on the ASX, sorted by largest daily price decline.

The most traded ETFs on the ASX on the Stake platform for 2024 (data as of 31 July 2024) are:

• iShares S&P 500 ETF ($IVV)
• Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF ($VAS)
• BetaShares NASDAQ 100 ETF ($NDQ)
• Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF ($VGS)
• Vanguard Diversified High Growth Index ETF ($VDHG)

If you're interested in these exchange-traded funds, learn more about how to buy Australian ETFs.

Though there are 2,000+ ASX stocks and ETFs available, some ASX companies with large market caps tower above the vast majority of the securities listed.

The top 10 ASX-listed companies by market cap are (values as of 23 August 2024):

• Commonwealth Bank of Australia ($CBA) - $228b
• BHP Group Limited ($BHP) - $208b
• CSL Limited ($CSL) - $149b
• National Australia Bank Limited ($NAB) - $114b
• Westpac Banking Corporation ($WBC) - $104b
• ANZ Group Holdings Limited ($ANZ) - $90b
• Newmont Corporation ($NEM) - $88b
• Wesfarmers Limited ($WES) - $85b
• Macquarie Group Limited ($MQG) - $80b
• Goodman Group ($GMG) - $61b

Exchange traded funds (ETFs) are one of the most popular investments around the world, and we see this popularity in the Australian market with ASX ETFs being one of the most traded assets on Stake.

Investors that are looking for exposure to the S&P/ASX 200 through an Australian ETF have a few options:

• iShares Core S&P/ASX 200 ($IOZ)
• SPDR S&P/ASX 200 ($STW)
• BetaShares Geared Australian Equity ($GEAR)