Ticker Symbol

What is the ticker symbol? 

A ticker symbol is a unique identifier for a stock on a stock market, typically composed of letters, but can also include numbers and hyphens. Different stock markets might have different suffixes for the same ticker symbol. For instance, Vodafone Idea Limited has the ticker symbol “IDEA.NS” on Yahoo! Finance and is traded on the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE). Reliance Power Limited, listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), is identified as “RPOWER.BO” on Yahoo! Finance. Punjab National Bank is represented by “PNB” on the NSE and “PNB.NS” on Yahoo! Finance. 

Ticker Symbol Explained 

The telegraphic ticker tape machine, invented by Edward Calahan in 1867, revolutionized the communication of stock prices. Prior to this, traders had to manually write or shout out the complete company name for each traded stock, which was inefficient. The ticker tape machine used one to five letters to represent each company, making it easier for investors to monitor market movements. Today, digital screens have replaced paper tapes for displaying stock tickers.