An equity exchange provides market data generated through trading activity on its marketplace. This commonly includes current bid and ask quotations, executed trade prices, trading volume, market depth and other information supporting price discovery and execution analysis. Option C therefore provides the most accurate description.

Bid and ask quotations show the highest price buyers are prepared to pay and the lowest price sellers are prepared to accept. The difference between them is the bid-ask spread, which is an important indicator of transaction cost and market liquidity. Real-time trade information enables investors, dealers and portfolio managers to evaluate prevailing market conditions and determine whether an order can be executed efficiently.

Regulatory filings and continuous disclosure reports in option A are principally issuer disclosures made through prescribed regulatory filing systems and other official disclosure channels. Although exchanges impose listing and disclosure requirements, such documents are not the primary form of trading data described by the question. Options B and D are incorrect because modern exchanges provide considerably more than end-of-day or previous-month information.

The Retail Securities curriculum requires candidates to understand exchange-generated data, including security prices, trading volume, bid and ask quotations, yields and market capitalization, and to distinguish market data from issuer financial disclosure. Official references: CIRO Retail Securities Syllabus—external information sources and exchange data; official Retail Securities practice examination—aggregated marketplace information.

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