The NASDAQ Stock Market is a U.S. stock exchange. The NASDAQ began began trading on February 8, 1971, listing mostly over-the-counter (OTC) stocks. The NASDAQ was originally owned and operated by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD). The NASDAQ became a public corporation in 2005, and the NASDAQ officially separated from the NASD on August 1, 2006.
NASDAQ stands for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations." There are several NASDAQ-related Web sites, but the main one is www.nasdaq.com, and you can link to the others from there.
Rules: NASDAQ rules are are posted free online. The are also available as a looseleaf in the NASDAQ Manual, available in print or through CCH's Intelliconnect.