A stock ticker shows the price and trading volume of various stocks. It updates throughout the day during trading hours, showing “ticks” (changes) in stock prices and trading volume. Not all of the companies whose shares are traded on a given market appear on the ticker.
Stock tickers list companies by their symbol. Unless you know the symbol of the company you’re interested, you’ll have to look it up before you consult a stock ticker. Then, you’ll see the stock symbol, the number of shares trading and the price. You’ll see a green upward arrow if the price is higher than the day before. You’ll see a red downward arrow if the price is lower. You can also see the difference between the current price and the price at the end of the previous day.
If you’re an average retail investor, you don’t need to spend your day glued to the stock ticker. It’s probably information overload. But now you’ll know what you’re looking at next time you’re watching television and see a stock ticker moving across the bottom of the screen.
