Ticker Tape
Updated on March 8, 2023
Ticker tape refers to the price quotations appearing on a screen with stock symbols and their prices. The Ticker tape connotation is still used today in context to the price quotes, though the ticker tape machines are no longer in use. The ticker tape machine was used earlier and the name was given due to the sound it made while displaying stock price quotations with a considerable gap in between two quotations.These machines printed stock symbols and numeric data about trades and stock prices from information transmitted over a telegraph wire.
Ticker Tape explained
The ticker tape is electronic today but retains its name from the mechanical ticking sound from the original analog machines. The ticker tape displays the stock symbol or company name, volume traded, price per share and an up or down triangle to show if price is above or below the previous day’s closing price. Electronic ticker tapes also use green to indicate a higher trading price and red to indicate a lower price. The ticker tape can help investors check the market sentiment in an instant.
