Pink Sheet Stocks - What Does It Mean
Pink Sheet stocks are over-the-counter stocks that are not traded as often as NASDAQ stocks or Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board stocks. This could be due to the fact that they are penny stocks, in bankruptcy, or closely held public companies for which not many shares are available for public trading. There are currently over 20,000 of these companies. They are sometimes designated with a .pk at the end of the stock symbol. These stocks are bought from Market Makers, which are brokerage firms that agree to buy the stocks and sell the stocks at specific prices generally at all times.
Currently, the list of market makers is provided electronically, but originally they were listed on long pieces of pink paper provided to stock brokerage firms on a daily basis, which listed the name of the stock, the market maker, and the bid and asked prices. To see what pink sheets used to look like, click on Glossary - Dictionary - Definitions then scroll down to the 'P' section and look for Pink Sheets.
By the way, Yellow Sheets refer to over-the-counter corporate bonds and Blue Sheets refer to municipal bonds. By the way, Pink Sheets(R) is also the name of the company that provides quotations for Pink Sheet stocks.
No Bull about Bulls and Bears
Where does bull and bear come from? Some sources say that a bull knocks you up in the air (rising market) and a bear knocks you down (falling market). However, there were some old proverbs floating around Europe during the 1700's. In Germany, the saying was 'Don't sell the bear-skin before you have killed the bear.' In Holland, they said 'Don't sell the bearskin before the bear is dead.' In Italy, they said 'Don't sell the bearskin before you have caught the bear.' In England, the saying was 'Don't sell the bearskin before the bear is caught.' In all cases, they said the same thing, 'Don't sell something you don't have.'
Short selling also led to another old saying 'He who sells what isn't his'n, must buy it back or go to prison.'
Anyway, that covers the bears, how about the bulls? Just like donkeys and elephants, there had to be an alternative animal. The bull seemed a natural contrast, an animal that charges ahead, moves forward, and is strong and powerful (just like a strong stock market).
As long as we are covering old sayings, make sure you stay away from the brokerage firms who's motto is 'Win 'em, spin 'em, churn 'em, and burn 'em.' That means win the client over, give them a good spin story about a stock, get them to do as many trades as possible whether it's good for them or not, and keep doing it until you have used up all their money.
High Priced Traded Shares
Indians Inc. (INDN) Last traded at $10,500 in December, 2003, at $15,700 on January 2005 and at $23,000 on October 6, 2005. Operates the Indianapolis Indians Baseball Club.
A. D. Makepeace (MAKE) Last traded at $5,000 at the end of 2000. Cranberry grower.
Winter Sports Inc. (WSPO) Traded at $2,535 May 2004, at $3,000 in December 2004, and at $3,300 on August 17, 2005. Owns ski resort in Whitefish Montana.
QXL Ricardo (old shares) (QXLRY) Last traded at $1,150, traded between $1000 and $4000 during 2004. An online auction company.
Check out info on more high priced shares of stock at Stock Market Trivia.
Personalized License Plates of Wall Street
An example of a great symbol is NUT for ML Macadamia Orchards, a macadamia nut farming company in Hawaii that trades on the New York Stock Exchange. The letters of the symbol are not the same as the initials for the company, yet the symbol tells you right away what the business is.
Another great symbol is GAS for Nicor Inc. In case you haven't guessed what business Nicor is in, it is a distributor of Natural Gas.
We have compiled a list below of 'Stock Exchange Personalized License Plate Symbols TM' for a group of stocks from 1990. These are the actual stock symbols for these corporations at that time. See if you can guess what kind of business they were in.
Interesting Stock Symbols from 1990 | |
BABY | Fertility & Genetic Resources |
BEAM | Summit Technology Incorporated |
BLMP | Airship Intl. Ltd. |
BLUD | Immucor Incorporated |
BOOK | Village Green Bookstore Incorporated |
BOOM | Explosive Fabricators Incorporated |
BRAU | Pavichevich Brewing Corporation |
BSBL | Score Board Incorporated |
BUCS | American Franchise Group Incorporated |
BURN | Trilling Medical Technology Incorporated |
BYTE | Compu Com Systems Incorporated |
CARS | US Cargo Incorporated |
CGUL | Margate Ventures Incorporated |
CHIK | Golden Poultry Co. Incorporated |
COLD | Texas American Group Incorporated |
DINE | Mascott Corporation |
DOSE | Choice Drug Systems Incorporated |
DRNK | Cable Car Beverage Corporation |
EARS | Hearx Ltd. |
FAIR | Renaissance Entertainment Corporation |
FAME | Flame master Corporation |
FAXM | Hotelcopy Incorporated |
FLAG | First Federal Savings Bank of La Grange |
FOIL | Forest Oil Corporation |
FONE | Farmstead Telephone Group |
FOTO | Seattle Filmworks Incorporated |
FUEL | Griffith Consumers Corporation |
FUN | Cedar Fair, L.P. |
FUSE | First United Savings Bank FSB |
GAIT | Langen Biomechanics Group |
GARD | Denning Mobile Robotics |
GEMS | Electronic Spec. Products Incorporated |
GGGG | 4 G Data Systems Incorporated |
GOGO | Nutri-Products Incorporated |
GONE | Plastigone Technology Incorporated. |
GRIT | Grubb & Ellis Realty Incorporated Trust |
HIRE | Diversified Human Resources Group |
JAIL | Adtec. Incorporated |
JOIN | Jones Inter Cable Incorporated |
KDNY | Home Intensive Care |
KIDS | Magic Years Child Care Center |
KIDZ | Direct Connect International |
KITS | Meridian Diagnostics Incorporated |
KRUZ | Europa Cruises Corporation |
LABL | Multi-Color Corporation |
LADY | Tennis Lady Incorporated |
LAMP | S.O.I. Ind. Incorporated |
LENS | Concord Camera Corporation |
LENZ | Vision Sciences Incorporated |
LIPSA | Showcase Cosmetics Incorporated |
LOAN | Surety Capital Corporation |
LUBE | Auto Spa Corporation |
LUNG | L A Blockers Incorporated |
LUVSW | Southwest Airlines 90 Warrants |
MALL | Auto Spa Automalls Incorporated |
MAME | Mobile America Corporation |
MEMRY | Ramtron Australia Ltd. |
MOLE | Flowmole Corporation |
NASA | North American Savings Association |
NOIZ | Micronetics Incorporated |
OUCH | Occupational-Urgent Care |
PIZA | National Pizza Corporation |
PLAY | Players Intl. Incoroorated |
PLUG | Component Guard Incorporated |
POPI | Fast Food Operators |
PTA | Career Com Corporation |
PULP | Kingston Systems Incorporated |
QPON | Seven Oaks Intl. Incorporated |
READ | American Learning Corporation |
REAL | Reliability Incorporated |
REFR | Research Frontiers |
RELY | Ingres Corporation |
RITE | Trvlsys Incorporated |
RRRC | Tri-R Systems Corporation |
SEED B | DeKalb Genetics Corporation Class B |
SHIP | Regency Cruises Incorporated |
SHOE | Millfeld Trading Co. Inc. |
SKIL | Canterbury Educational Services |
SODA | A&W Brands Incorporated |
STAG | Security Tag System Incorporated |
TAPE | Magnetech Corporation |
TONE | One Bancorp. |
TOOL | Easco Band Tools Incorporated |
TREE | Aspen Leaf Incorporated |
TSTM | Media Logic Incorporated |
TUXX | Al's Formal Wear Incorporated |
UEAT | Restaurant Hotline Systems Incorporated |
WCTV | Wescott Communications Incorporated. |
WHEL | Roadmaster Industries Incorporated |
XRAY | Gendex Corporation |
YUMY | Tofruzen Incorporated |
ZIPP | NRP Incorporated |
Investment Joke Definitions / Wall Street Jokes / Stock Market Jokes
Bull: What comes out of your stockbroker's mouth.
Bear: What your brokerage account becomes after investing in Enron.
Short: What you end up being after shorting stocks in your portfolio.
Bond: A thing you used to have between you and your stockbroker before he lost your money.
Call: What a stockbroker does when he has a hot tip for you.
Tip: What you won't be leaving your waiter, if you invest based on his hot stock ideas.
Over the Counter: Where you'll be getting your food from when you go out to dinner, after losing your money in the stock market.
Volume: What you turn up on the radio when the financial report comes on.
Obviously, these are joke definitions. If you want real financial, stock market, Wall Street, stock exchange definitions, click on the following link:Glossary - Dictionary - Definitions and scroll down to the Definitions section.
More Famous Investment Quotations
"Before you invest, investigate." William Arthur Ward (1921-1994) author, educator."With an evening coat and a white tie, anybody, even a stock broker, can gain a reputation for being civilized." Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Poet & playwright
"Never invest in anything that eats or needs repainting." Billy Rose (1899-1966) Composer and entrepreneur
"Emotions are your worst enemy in the stock market." Don Hays, stock market commentator
"I never attempt to make money on the stock market. I buy on the assumption that they could close the market the next day and not reopen it for five years." Warren Buffett (1930- ) businessman and investor
"Everyone has the brainpower to follow the stock market. If you made it through fifth-grade math, you can do it." Peter Lynch (1944- ) money manager
"Gentlemen prefer bonds." Andrew Mellon, Businessman & financier (1855-1937)
"Anyone who thinks there's safety in numbers hasn't looked at the stock market pages" Irene Peter
"The stock market has forecast nine of the last five recessions" Paul A. Samuelson
"The arts are an even better barometer of what is happening in our world than the stock market or the debates in congress." Hendrik Willem Van Loon
"If stock market experts were so expert, they would be buying stock, not selling advice." Norman R. Augustine
"Now is always the most difficult time to invest." Anonymous
"I can't figure the stock market out. I think it's wacky. I have done well with a long-term strategy and will continue being a long-term investor." Scott McNealy
"One of the funny things about the stock market is that every time one person buys, another sells, and both think they are astute." William Feather
It's easy to grin when your ships come in and you've got the stock market beat, but the man worth while is the man who can smile when his pants are too tight in the seat" Anonymous
"My job is to make people money. If I don't include every factor that moves a stock, market psychology included, then I'm not doing my job." Thomas Kurlak
The most valuable things in life are not measured in monetary terms. The really important things are not houses and lands, stocks and bonds, automobiles and real state, but friendships, trust, confidence, empathy, mercy, love and faith." Bertrand Russell, Philosopher (1872-1970)
"Stock prices have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau" Irving Fisher, Economist, (1867-1947)
"A stockbroker urged me to buy a stock that would triple its value every year. I told him, 'At my age, I don't even buy green bananas.'" Claude Pepper
"If you hear that everybody is buying a certain stock, ask who is selling." James Dines, Investment newsletter writer (1935- )
Don't forget to check out Stock Market Trivia ( www.stockmarkettrivia.com ), which has lots of additional stock and bond trivia and an Investment Glossary / Definitions / Dictionary:
For even more interesting stock market trivia, go to: