Stocks found on the New York and American Stock Exchange will normally have symbols with three letters or fewer. On the other hand, stocks on the Nasdaq have four letters. Symbols are just a shorthand way of describing a company's stock, so there is no significant difference between those that have three letters and those that have four.

You should watch out, however, when extra letters are added as a suffix to the stock symbol. This happens for many different reasons, including the following:.

For more insight, read Understanding The Ticker Tape. Dictionary Term Of The Day. A measure of what it costs an investment company to operate a mutual fund. Latest Videos PeerStreet Offers New Way to Bet on Housing New to Buying Bitcoin? This Mistake Could Cost You Guides Stock Basics Economics Basics Options Basics Exam Prep Series 7 Exam CFA Level 1 Series 65 Exam.

Sophisticated content for financial advisors around investment strategies, industry trends, and advisor education.

Why do some stock symbols have three letters while others have four? What is the difference?

By Investopedia Staff Share. This happens for many different reasons, including the following: If it is a preferred stock , the letters "PR" and the letter denoting the class will typically be added.

For example, a fictional preferred stock called Cory's Tequila Corporate Preferred A-shares would have a symbol such as CTC.

If the company has more than one type of common stock currently trading, then it will have the class added to its suffix. For instance, Berkshire Hathaway comes in two forms: If a stock is trading on the pink sheets or the over-the-counter bulletin board , a "PK" or "OB" will be added to the stock symbol. On the Nasdaq, a fifth symbol is added to stocks that are delinquent in certain exchange requirements.

For example, the letter "Q" will be added to the stock symbol of a company in bankruptcy proceedings. When a ticker symbol changes it's usually not a good sign. Tickers of publicly traded companies generally only change for Discover whether or not hedge funds have ticker symbols, where you can find ticker symbols and the significance of a ticker All of the companies traded on the Nasdaq have four-lettered tickers, which are representative of the actual company.

Learn more about the different types of letters of credit that are used to facilitate exchanges between parties that might It's true that all mutual funds' tickers have an X at the end of their symbol. The reason for this is to distinguish between Learn more about the function of a letter of credit for both the buyer and the seller, and get some examples showing when The stock market has changed dramatically since its inception, but the use of ticker symbols has remained largely unchanged.

There is a wealth of information in the expanded option symbols, but they should make things easier for traders. Stock tickers can say a lot about a company in just a few letters.

Find out how to read them. We explain the meaning and use of that reel of symbols whizzing across your TV or computer screen.

CQS Symbol Convention

Crafting a strong cover letter for a job can increase your chances of standing out from the crowd and landing an interview. Some techniques that help. Wall Street touts diversification and improving portfolios via investing in international equities. But do we know the whole story they're selling? This is a term that refers to a company's stock symbol or ticker A Nasdaq stock symbol specifying that the stocks are Class "A" An occasional fifth letter in a Nasdaq-traded company's ticker An expense ratio is determined through an annual A hybrid of debt and equity financing that is typically used to finance the expansion of existing companies.

A period of time in which all factors of production and costs are variable. In the long run, firms are able to adjust all A legal agreement created by the courts between two parties who did not have a previous obligation to each other. A macroeconomic theory to explain the cause-and-effect relationship between rising wages and rising prices, or inflation.

List of Symbols for NASDAQ Stock Exchange [NASDAQ] Starting with A

A statistical technique used to measure and quantify the level of financial risk within a firm or investment portfolio over Content Library Articles Terms Videos Guides Slideshows FAQs Calculators Chart Advisor Stock Analysis Stock Simulator FXtrader Exam Prep Quizzer Net Worth Calculator. Work With Investopedia About Us Advertise With Us Write For Us Contact Us Careers.

Get Free Newsletters Newsletters. All Rights Reserved Terms Of Use Privacy Policy.