What does Ticker mean?

A ticker is the short symbol that identifies a stock on an exchange — AAPL for Apple, TSLA for Tesla, MSFT for Microsoft.

Every public stock has a short symbol called a ticker — AAPL for Apple, TSLA for Tesla, MSFT for Microsoft. Stocks trade on exchanges like NYSE and NASDAQ during market hours (9:30am–4:00pm ET on weekdays).

Ticker example

Typing AAPL into a brokerage pulls up Apple; BRK-B is Berkshire Hathaway's Class B shares; SPY is a fund that tracks the S&P 500. Some symbols are a single letter — F is Ford, V is Visa.

Common beginner mistake

Buying the wrong company because two tickers look alike. Always check the full company name on the order screen before you confirm a trade.