Why Do They Call It Wall Street?
When people talk about Wall Street, they usually mean the big financial companies that help investors buy and sell stocks and other securities. But Wall Street is a real place, too.
Located in New York City, Wall Street was named for a wall built by Dutch colonists in 1653. For a long time, Wall Street was a dirt path leading to the East River. On the piers of the river, merchants traded paper shares of a ship's cargo, making it unnecessary to carry large amounts of gold or silver.
During the 1800s, companies raised money by selling stock on the curbs of Wall Street. At that time, the stock market was called The Curb and brokers who helped companies sell stock were known as curbstone brokers. These brokers used elaborate hand signals to trade because there was so much shouting and confusion. It was not until the 1920s that the stock market moved indoors.
Today, sophisticated computers handle most of the actual securities trading. However, traders still use hand signals to communicate with each other.
By younginvestor.com
http://www.younginvestor.com/
