Ticker Symbol Reservations
Best Practice Summary
Companiesreserve a ticker symbol during the initial public offering process. Ticker symbolsare the one to five letter abbreviations representing a company's name on a ticker,a television screen or newspaper. The symbol should be representative of the company'sname. For instance, if the company's name was Walt Disney, then the possible combinationwould be anything beginning with W or D or has a W or D in the ticker symbol.NYSE companies' ticker symbols consist of one to three letters. AMEX generallyuses 2-3 letter ticker symbols, while companies listed on Nasdaq have symbolsconsisting of four to five letters.
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
TickerSymbol Reservation Procedures
To reserve a ticker symbol withthe NYSE, a company requests afew ticker symbols via telephone call the NYSE (212-656-6075). The ticker symbolwill be researched and the requesting company or law firm will be notified viaphone or e-mail which ticker symbol will be reserved.
AmericanStock Exchange (AMEX)
Ticker Symbol Reservation Procedures
Lisa Woliner is the Symbol Coordinator at the AMEX.E-mail with a requestthat consists of:
- Company name
- Five (5)variations of a possible ticker symbol
- Address and telephone number of company'sprincipal executive offices
- Attorney name, firm name, address, phone andfax numbers
Lisa works to find the best possibleavailable match by checking all databases, vendor services and surveying otherexchanges. Once the company agrees upon an available symbol, Lisa assigns thecompany and listing representative to the AMEX who contacts the company or lawfirm. A ticker symbol will not be reserved for longer than one month without filinga listing application. Lisa can be reached at (212) 306-2064.
NASDAQ
Ticker Symbol Reservation Procedures
NASDAQmay assign a fifth letter to a ticker symbol as an identifier distinguishing thesecurity. Nasdaq's web site provides meanings for the fifth letters. Ticker symbolsmay be obtained online.The following information must be provided:
- Company name
- Symbol to be reserved
- Address and telephonenumber of company's principal executive offices
- Company web site
- CEO and CFO name, direct phone number, e-mail address
- Is company applying for listing on the NASDAQ National Market, NASDAQ SmallCapMarket or OTC Bulletin Board (OTCBB)?
- Is company private, publiclytraded (provide market currently trading on and symbol) or subsidiary (provideparent company name and symbol if applicable)
- Expected lead manager
- Attorney name, law firm, address, phone and fax numbers
Uponcompletion of the required information, a symbol of confirmation will be sent.Symbol reservations are valid for 6 months, with no extensions, renewals or re-reservations.Upon receipt of the NASDAQ listing application, the symbol reservation will beheld, pending review of the application. General information phone number is (212)709-2410.
Ticker Symbol Searches
TickerSymbol Look Up (by Company Name)
TickerSymbol Look Up (AMEX)
TickerSymbol Look Up (NASDAQ)
Ticker Symbol Look Up (NYSE)
InternationalCompanies, Market Information and Ticker Symbols
(choose a country fromthe drop down menu in the top right hand corner)
AmericanStock Exchange
AMEX is the second largest floor-based exchangein the U.S. next to NYSE. Trading on floor-based exchanges is conducted throughcentralized systems combining computer delivered orders with the liquidity ofcustomer driven markets. AMEX members represent U.S. leading brokerage houses.
Thestock market was established to maintain and regulate the supply, demand and priceof a company's stock. Factors that generally affect market activity and priceare (a) company's products, management, past performance, future expectations;(b) industry specific factors; (c) popular and industry trends; (d) overall marketcondition that is easily affected by external factors such as international orpolitical events. A company chooses a stock market by determining which marketor exchange will make their stock most attractive to investors. The selected marketalso needs to continue to meet their needs as the company grows. Stock marketsvary based on listing requirements and maintenance standards, market structureand trading mechanisms.
AMEXListing Information and Forms (click on "equities" in the left navigationbar for information on listing)
NASDAQ
NationalAssociation of Securities Dealers (NASD) was created through the Maloney Act of1938 which amended the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (section 15A) to allowfor self-regulation by securities firms that are involved in the Over-the-counter(OTC) market.
NASD was formed on July 20, 1939 and approved bythe Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) in August of the same year. It was establishedto develop rules and regulations of its members and conduct regulatory reviewsof members business activities, discipline violators and designs. SinceNASD is subject to overview by the SEC, any revisions to NASDs rules orbylaws must be reported on the registration statement filed with the SEC.
NASDAQ,NASD Dispute Resolutions and AMEX are subsidiaries of NASD. NASDAQ is the world'slargest electronic stock market. Trading is executed through a sophisticated computerand telecommunications network rather than on a trading floor.
New York Stock Exchange
The NYSE is the largest equities market in the U.S. and hasexisted for over 200 years and has the distinction of the "opening bell"and "closing bell" which is an honor reserved for distinguished guests.
The stock market was established to maintain and regulate thesupply, demand and price of a company's stock. Factors that generally affect marketactivity and price are (a) company's products, management, past performance, futureexpectations; (b) industry specific factors; (c) popular and industry trends;(d) overall market condition that is easily affected by external factors suchas international or political events. A company chooses a stock market by determiningwhich market or exchange will make their stock most attractive to investors. Theselected market also needs to continue to meet their needs as the company grows.Stock markets vary based on listing requirements and maintenance standards, marketstructure and trading mechanisms.
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