A stock ticker is a computerized device that displays current position of the stocks that are being traded at the stock market. It displays the current price of the stock, the opening price of the stock on that particular day, closing price of the stock of the previous day, volume of the stock that are being traded at the exchange. If the price of the stock is rising in comparison with the previous day’s closing price then the stock price is flashed in green and if the price is reduced than the previous closing then the price is displayed in red color.
Edward A. Calahan of the American Telegraph Company invented the earliest version of the stock ticker machine in 1867. Initially stock ticker machines used to print the information on paper and collected the stock information through telegraph signals in the form of Morse code. The name of the device also came from the sound that the machine produced while printing on paper. With the passage of time the machines became faster as information were sent quicker and gradually it started to function on the real time basis during 1996. Presently the typical stock ticker machines have become obsolete as the computerized displays took over it. But the name ‘stock ticker’ still exists for the displays that are shown either on the computer screen or the large electronic display boards at the stock exchanges flashing the current price of the stock on a real time basis.
Stock ticker is the concise form of displaying all the relevant information about a stock. It shows the name of the stock exchange where the stock is traded, code of the stock for that particular stock exchange, price of the stock, volume of the stock and opening price of the day and closing price of the previous day. These are some of the crucial and most important information about a particular stock. These information tell you about the potential of the stock. It also helps an investor to know about the current price of the stock that helps them to decide whether to buy or sell a stock. Now stock ticker is a common feature even with the television channels and websites that deal with investments and stock market. With all the relevant information at your fingertips you can buy or sell stock at the right time and make profitable investments.