|
As implied in a recent news article about Google's upcoming IPO, companies are allowed to choose their own ticker symbol. Of course, the requested symbol must be available and follow market conventions. A NASDAQ FAQ outlines how a company obtains a ticker symbol. A symbol can be reserved up to six months in advance of submitting an official application for a listing on the exchange. The company must submit their requested symbol along with two alternatives, listed in order of preference. Once approved, the symbol reservation is good for six months. At the NYSE web site, we looked up "ticker
symbol" in the glossary and learned a bit more. A company's ticker symbol can be three or four letters and is assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. To avoid confusion, a symbol used by a company on one stock exchange, such as the NYSE or NASDAQ, can't be used by a company on another exchange. The marketplaces work together to ensure ticker symbols aren't duplicated. We also came across an interesting article on ticker symbol optimization that describes how a company can strategically choose their ticker symbol to appear in search results. Note to Google Management: Personally,
we think "GOO" has a nice ring to it, and -- good news -- it's available!
|
