New York, Aug 16 (IANS): For the fourth year in a row, NASDAQ, world's second-largest stock exchange in the heart of Times Square, donned the colours of the Indian flag to celebrate India's 66th Independence Day.

As Indian Consul General Prabhu Dayal rang the opening bell at 9.30 a.m. Wednesday, the exchange's billboard flashed the Indian tri-colour accompanied by the words "Nasdaq celebrates India's Independence Day". Other billboards across Times Square too displayed images of the tricolour.

"NASDAQ has organised this event to celebrate India's Independence Day, which indicated the ever growing relationship between NASDAQ and Indian companies," said Dayal at the ceremony watched by a large number of members of the Indian community.

"NASDAQ's gesture is in recognition of the fact that India has become a global powerhouse," he said, calling on the exchange to encourage foreign firms to invest in India's growing infrastructure sector.

He was confident that NASDAQ would continue to focus the interest of investors on the opportunities provided by India and play a positive role in the growth of the Indian economy.

Indian companies like Infosys, Cognizant, Rediff, Makemytrip and Sify are members of the NASDAQ 100 index which is one of the most prestigious and widely followed indices of the world.