Ticker symbol

A ticker symbol or stock symbol is an abbreviation used to uniquely identify publicly traded shares of a particular stock on a particular stock exchange. A ticker symbol may consist of letters, numbers, or a combination of both, depending on the exchange.

History

The term "ticker" refers to the sound made by the ticker tape machines once used by stock exchanges. These machines printed stock symbols and numbers indicating the latest sale price and volume of a company's stock. The ticker tape was a continuous strip of paper that provided a running report of stock prices.

Format

Ticker symbols are typically composed of one to four letters, although some exchanges use numbers or a combination of letters and numbers. For example, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) typically uses one to three letters, while the NASDAQ uses four or five letters.

Examples

• AAPL - Apple Inc.
• GOOGL - Alphabet Inc.
• TSLA - Tesla, Inc.

Function

Ticker symbols are used by investors and traders to quickly and easily identify a particular stock. They are essential for placing orders and tracking the performance of stocks. Each ticker symbol is unique to the company and the exchange on which it is listed.

International Variations

Different countries have different conventions for ticker symbols. For example, in the United Kingdom, ticker symbols are often referred to as "EPIC" codes, and in Germany, they are known as "WKN" or "ISIN" codes.

Ticker Symbol Extensions

Some ticker symbols have extensions that provide additional information about the stock. For example, a ticker symbol might have a ".A" or ".B" extension to indicate different classes of stock.

Also see

• Stock market
• Stock exchange
• Initial public offering
• Market capitalization
• Securities symbol