Stock symbol, or stock ticker, or ticker

A stock symbol, stock ticker, or ticker is a series of 1-5 letters, or an abbreviation, that represents a company or ETF’s stock listed on a share market. They were introduced in November 1867, around the time of ticker tape machines, and were based on a ‘tick’ that shows movement of shares prices going up or down. They made trading across America more accurate and efficient using a shortened version of a company name. Today, some tickers are quirky and inventive, such as: Petco’s Health and Wellness Company’s WOOF, Harley-Davidson’s HOG, Cheesecake Factory CAKE, Dave & Buster's Entertainment’s PLAY, Gorilla Technology Group’s GRRR, Pacer US Small Cap Cash Cows CALF, Steven Madden’s SHOO, Southwest Airlines’ LUV, and Olympic Steel’s ZEUS. Learn more about the history of stock tickers here.