Define Stock Ticker

by Darrell Delamaide

Overview

Stock ticker is a running list of stock prices based on recent transactions. The name comes from the ticking sound made during the original telegraphic transmission of the prices.
History

The first stock ticker dates back to 1867 with a telegraphic printing machine for stock prices on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Ticker Tape

The stock prices were printed on a narrow strip of paper in a continuous stream. Stock brokers tore off these "tapes" to check what was happening in the market. A "ticker tape parade" was when brokers threw these torn-off tapes out the window like confetti to honor a passing celebrity.
Ticker Symbol

For quick transmission on the stock ticker, a company's name was shortened to a few letters. These ticker symbols survive today in electronic transmission of prices.
Electronic Stock Tickers

The stream of stock prices from the ticker is often simulated today in scrolling displays, whether on the electronic billboard in Times Square or across the bottom of a cable television screen or website.
News Ticker

When market news was transmitted as a supplement to stock prices, it became known as a news ticker. The term now refers to any scrolling news on a billboard or TV screen.