The evolution of how to evaluate a stock for investors has changed dramatically. Before the internet, only brokers could get information on individual stocks through ticker tape. Now, anyone can access this ticker information on their phone with a quick search.
Ticker tape was created in 1867 and was shared via telegraph with Morse code. Someone had to convert the code with the stock information. This took time, so the stock information wasn’t always accurate. In 1930, a more modern ticker tape machine was invented and was faster than the previous telegraph method. This new method took 15 to 20 minutes to get the information. This was fast but still not up to date. Physical machines had to physically print out the ticker tape. Only people who had access to these machines could access the ticker tape.
In 1966, an electronic ticker tape machine came out. This gave investors minute-by-minute information on stocks. In addition, this gave brokers the most up-to-date information on individual stocks.
While brokers and individual investors don’t use ticker tape, the idea is still around. When you watch the news or go on Yahoo Stocks, you can see a ticker for a stock. This information is now updated whenever a stock changes, giving everyone access to the most up-to-date information on stocks.
