(The Center Square) – Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday joined Nasdaq Texas and business leaders in a closing bell ceremony to commemorate the 190th anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo and highlight Texas’ economic achievements.
They met on sacred ground where nearly 200 men met on the eve of a battle in which they would all perish.
On March 5, 1836, Lt. Col. William Travis reportedly drew a line in the sand knowing no reinforcements were coming and nearly 200 men stepped forward to fight for liberty, Rachel Racz, senior vice president and head of Nasdaq Listings for Texas, said.
The Alamo “represents what Texans value above everything else, independence and liberty.” The Alamo defender’s choice to die for liberty led to the creation of a republic and a state “defined by conviction, courage, and the freedom to try its own force,” she said, which is why it was fitting for Nasdaq to launch its fully operational Texas exchange on that day.
Nasdaq Texas became fully operational Thursday as a dual-listing exchange and is legally domiciled in Texas.
The launch came one year after Nasdaq announced its new Texas headquarters in Dallas. Last November, Nasdaq announced it was launching its own Texas financial exchange, Nasdaq Texas, The Center Square reported.
This occurred after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last October approved the Texas Stock Exchange’s (TXSE) application to operate as a national securities exchange in Texas. Abbott also led this effort determined for years for Texas to have its own stock exchange. The TXSE, based in Dallas, is the only national securities exchange built and headquartered in Texas.
Both the TXSE and Nasdaq Texas have launched under Abbott, who is running for his fourth term and is the longest serving governor in state history.
“The full launch of Nasdaq Texas represents a permanent, foundational commitment to the companies that want to build the future of the U.S. economy from this state,” Racz said.
Nasdaq Chair and CEO Adena Friedman, Racz and Texas business leaders who are participating in the exchange and investing in Texas rang the closing bell in front of the Alamo, celebrating the launch.
Thursday was symbolic because the Alamo has been holding commemorative events leading up to March 6, the 190th anniversary of the fall of the Alamo. Roughly 200 men from what are now 22 states and five countries fought and died on that day. Prior to the battle, Travis had called for help, but none came. The men struggled through a 13-day siege, were outnumbered and outgunned and eventually slaughtered by an army of 6,000.
“Remember the Alamo” was the rallying cry of Texans fighting for independence and ultimate defeat of the Mexican Army on April 21, 1836, at the Battle of San Jacinto.
Abbott said after Texas won independence it was its own country, then became a U.S. state and is now “the premier economy in the country and one of the premier economies in the entire world.”
Now, 190 years later, Texas ranks first for job growth and having the most jobs, first for economic development, first for the most headquarter relocations, first for the best business climate, first for having the most new business development projects and most new jobs created, among other firsts, The Center Square has reported.
“Texas also ranks number one for capital investment and number one for capitalism,” Abbott said. “It’s only right that Texas ranks number one for the capital markets that drive capitalism and the entire economic system. We are proud that Nasdaq does business and has a location here in the great state of Texas. Texas will lead the way in protecting capitalism and all that it can achieve in the United States of America.”
Since Abbott’s been in office, more than 325 corporate headquarters have relocated to Texas. Texas is also home to 54 Fortune 500 companies and “is the headquarters of headquarters,” Abbott says.
