The Buttonwood Agreement was a foundational event in the history of the United States stock market and is widely regarded as the origin of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). It was signed on May 17, 1792, in New York City by a group of 24 stockbrokers and merchants. The agreement was named after a buttonwood tree, a type of sycamore, under which the signatories reportedly met outside 68 Wall Street to conduct business.

At the time, securities trading in New York was informal and unregulated. Brokers traded government bonds and bank stocks in open public spaces, often leading to inconsistent pricing and unfair competition. The Buttonwood Agreement was created to bring order and professionalism to this growing market. Its main provisions required brokers to trade securities only with one another and to charge a fixed commission rate, helping reduce price manipulation and undercutting.

Although the agreement itself was brief, its impact was long-lasting. It established basic rules of conduct, encouraged trust among market participants, and laid the groundwork for a centralized securities market. Over time, the group of brokers formalized their operations, eventually leading to the creation of the New York Stock & Exchange Board in 1817, which later became the New York Stock Exchange.

The Buttonwood Agreement symbolizes the transition from informal trading to an organized financial system and marks a crucial step in the development of modern capital markets in the United States.