What is a stock market ticker?

A stock market ticker is a running report of the prices of specific securities that is continuously updated by the stock exchange. A change in the price of a security is referred to as a "tick." Ticks and the volumes traded are automatically displayed on a stock ticker.

A stock ticker only displays a limited number of securities at any particular time. Most of the securities displayed are those with the highest-traded volumes or the biggest changes in price. Most financial news networks feature a scrolling stock ticker at the bottom of the television screen that provides current information regarding specific stocks.