Stock Symbol (Ticker)

A stock symbol, also known as a ticker symbol, is a unique identifier for a publicly traded company's shares. It is typically a short, memorable word or abbreviation that is used to represent the company on stock exchanges and in financial news reports.

Stock symbols are assigned by the exchanges on which the company's shares are traded. There are no hard and fast rules for what makes a good stock symbol, but some companies choose symbols that are related to their business or industry. For example, the stock symbol for Apple Inc. is AAPL, which is derived from the company's full name, Apple Computer.

Stock symbols are important because they allow investors to easily identify and trade the shares of a particular company. They are also used to track the performance of a company's stock over time.

In addition to stock symbols, companies may also have other identifiers, such as CUSIP numbers and ISIN numbers. CUSIP numbers are assigned by the Committee on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures (CUSIP), while ISIN numbers are assigned by the International Securities Identification Number (ISIN) Association. These numbers are used to uniquely identify securities, including stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments.

Stock symbols are an important part of the financial markets. They allow investors to easily identify and trade the shares of a particular company, and they are also used to track the performance of a company's stock over time.