
A stock symbol, or ticker, is a unique series of letters assigned to a security for trading purposes. New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and American Stock Exchange
NYSE American
NYSE American, formerly known as the American Stock Exchange, and more recently as NYSE MKT, is an American stock exchange situated in New York City, New York. AMEX was previously a mutual organization, owned by its members. Until 1953, it was known as the New York Curb Excha…
NASDAQ
The Nasdaq Stock Market is an American stock exchange. It is the second-largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization, behind only the New York Stock Exchange located in the same city. The exchange platform is owned by Nasdaq, Inc., which also owns the Nasdaq Nordic and Na…
How many letters are there in a stock symbol?
Companies trading on the NYSE typically have three or fewer letters representing their stock symbols. Nasdaq firms generally have four- or five-letter symbols, e.g. Adobe Systems (ADBE), Apple, Inc. (AAPL), Alphabet Inc. (GOOG or GOOGL) and Groupon Inc. (GRPN).
What is the longest ticker symbol for a stock?
The longest ticker symbol for any stock listed in any of the two main US markets (NYSE and NASDAQ) is only 5 characters long, and guess what, there are 1,522 stocks that are 5 characters long, most of them are traded on the NASDAQ. In my little research, I have discovered the following facts:
What are the characteristics of a stock symbol?
Nasdaq -listed securities can have up to five characters. Symbols are just a shorthand way of describing a company's stock, so there is no significant difference between those that have three letters and those that have four or five. Stock symbols are also known as ticker symbols.
What are some examples of stock symbols that have changed over time?
For example, the bank HSBC 's stock traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange has the ticker symbol 0005. Symbols sometimes change to reflect mergers. Prior to the 1999 merger with Mobil Oil, Exxon used a phonetic spelling of the company "XON" as its ticker symbol. The symbol of the firm after the merger was "XOM". Symbols are sometimes reused.

How many letters are in a stock ticker?
4-letterMost stock symbols on the Nasdaq are unique 4-letter identifiers, also known as tickers. Sometimes, an additional fifth letter is included after the 4-letter ticker to signify something about the stock or company.
How long can NYSE ticker be?
Choosing your ticker symbol is an initial step in the life of a public company. An issuer's symbol is unique and can reinforce branding initiatives. NYSE, NYSE American and NYSE Arca use up to four-character symbols.
How often do stock symbols change?
The ticker symbol of an acquired company usually changes to the acquirer's after the completion of a merger. A company that changes its name may change its ticker. When companies are delisted from their exchanges, the symbol changes. Investors don't need to do anything after a ticker symbol changes.
What does a 5 letter stock symbol mean?
A ticker symbol with a fifth letter identifies that there are additional circumstances with the stock, beyond a normal stock issue. For example, the letter "K" at the end of a stock symbol means this is non-voting stock.
How long can a stock be under $1?
Minimum Stock Price The stock can sell for under $1 a share for 29 consecutive trading days and still be safe from delisting. However, it must sell for $1 or more on day 30. If the stock sells for under $1 a share for 30 consecutive days, it's in violation of the NYSE minimum price regulations.
How long can a stock stay under $1 before delisting?
30 consecutive trading daysListing requirements vary from one exchange to the next. For example, on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), if a security's price closed below $1.00 for 30 consecutive trading days, that exchange would initiate the delisting process.
Can a ticker symbol be reused?
Tickers can be reused over time. The combination of Ticker Symbol, Share Class, Exchange Code, and Calendar Trading Date uniquely identifies a security. A ticker may be one to three characters for NYSE and NYSE American securities or four to five characters for NASDAQ securities.
How do I find old stock symbols?
A web resource for historic stock prices is Yahoo Finance (Stock Prices) - http://finance.yahoo.com/ . Stock prices go back to the 1070s. Begin by doing a search using the ticker symbol, then choose "Historical Prices" from the blue bar on the left; choose daily, weekly, or monthly data.
Why do some companies have two stock symbols?
There are some companies that trade with two different symbols on the same stock market because they offer two classes of shares, one with voting rights and another without voting rights.
What is 3 letter stock called?
Stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange have symbols with up to three letters – like T (AT&T), DO (Diamond Offshore Drilling) and LUV (Southwest Airlines). Stocks traded on the NASDAQ usually have four-letter symbols – like MSFT (Microsoft).
What does .F mean in stocks?
When the F symbol is listed at the end of a stock market listing, it indicates that the stock is a foreign stock, meaning it is based outside of the United States. The F symbol is one of the additional descriptors for labels that are used with stocks listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and NASDAQ.
How do you read stock symbols?
You can tell where a stock trades by looking at the number of letters in the stock symbol. If the symbol has three letters, the stock likely trades on the NYSE or American Stock Exchange (AMEX). A four-letter symbol indicates the stock likely trades on the Nasdaq.
What is a 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 market. A stock symbol may consist of letters, numbers or a combination of both. "Ticker symbol" refers to the symbols that were printed on ...
What is the symbol for indices?
Symbols for indices are usually distinguished by adding a symbol in front of the name, such as a caret (^) or a dot.
What are EPICs in trading?
In the United Kingdom, prior to 1996, stock codes were known as EPICs, named after the London Stock Exchange 's Exchange Price Information Computer (e.g.: "MKS" for Marks and Spencer ). Following the introduction of the Sequence trading platform in 1996, EPICs were renamed Tradable Instrument Display Mnemonics (TIDM), but they are still widely referred to as EPICs. Stocks can also be identified using their SEDOL (Stock Exchange Daily Official List) number or their ISIN ( International Securities Identification Number ).
What does the BUD symbol mean?
Stock symbols for preferred stock have not been standardized. Some companies use a well-known product as their ticker symbol. Belgian brewer AB InBev, the brewer of Budweiser beer, uses "BUD" as its three-letter ticker for American Depository Receipts, symbolizing its premier product in the United States.
How many different currencies does Daimler stock have?
For instance, Daimler AG stock trades on twenty-two different stock exchanges worldwide, and is priced in five different currencies; it has the same ISIN on each (DE0007100000), though not the same ticker symbol.
What is the ISIN code for securities?
The ISIN code is a 12-character alpha-numerical code that does not contain information characterizing financial instruments, but serves for uniform identification of a security at trading and settlement.
Why is the Yum symbol used?
Tricon Global, owner of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, adopted the symbol "YUM" to represent its corporate mission when the company was spun out of PepsiCo in 1997. In 2002, the company changed its name to match its symbol, adopting the name Yum! Brands. Symbols sometimes change to reflect mergers.
How many letters are in a stock symbol?
Traditionally, stocks listed on the NYSE and AMEX could only contain one, two or three letters, while companies listed on the NASDAQ always had four letters to their symbol. In 2007, however, this rule changed to allow companies to move freely from the NYSE to the NASDAQ.
What are the three major stock exchanges in the US?
The three major exchanges in the United States are the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), American Stock Exchange (AMEX), and the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ).
Who invented the ticker tape machine?
Apparently, one-letter symbols aren't all that exciting anymore. Yet they used to be all the rage. Just following the Civil War, Thomas Edison invented the ticker tape machine, which sped news about stock transactions all over the country.
What is a stock symbol?
A stock symbol, or ticker, is a unique series of letters assigned to a security for trading purposes. New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and American Stock Exchange (AMEX) listed stocks have three characters or less. Nasdaq -listed securities have four or five characters. Stock symbols are also used to convey information about the trading status ...
What does the fifth letter on the Nasdaq symbol mean?
For example, a fifth letter 'Q' indicates bankruptcy proceedings, while a 'K' specified non-voting shares.
What does the financial status indicator mean on the Nasdaq?
Nasdaq now uses the Financial Status Indicator to denote when a compant has filed for bankruptcy, , but notes other markets may still use " Q " for this purpose. R - Rights Issue. S - Shares of Beneficial Interest. T - Securities With Warrants or Rights.
How many letters are in the Nasdaq?
For example, the ticker symbol for Nasdaq-traded Microsoft is MSFT. However, in some cases, a ticker symbol on the Nasdaq will have five letters, and the fifth letter is an identifier symbol that tells market participants ...
What does the letter W mean on the Nasdaq?
( ACER) and the last letter ‘W’ indicates that the shares have warrants attached. Similarly, a company that is in bankruptcy proceedings will have a Q after its symbol, and a non-U.S. company trading in the U.S. financial markets will have the letter Y following its ticker symbol.
