The accents etc. are often changed to something else on the various sites. A comma may become a tilde or such. The following is a basis that should be valid with minor modifications.
Stocks — NYSE & AMEX
Common stocks listed on US exchanges* are 1, 2 or 3 alpha chars
in length; stocks other than common issues begin with 1-3 alpha
chars and may be followed by a special char delimiter, e.g. a
period or apostrophe and/or alpha chars according to the syntax
listed below.
Common = Root symbol only
Examples: T for AT & T common
GM for General Motors common
IBM for Int’l. Business Machines Common
Common = Root symbol followed by ‘n
w/Class where n designates the class of the issue
Example: GM’B for GM common class B
Preferred = Root symbol followed by a period (.)
Example: GM. for GM straight preferred
Preferred = Root symbol followed by .n
w/Class where n designates the class of the issue
Example: GM.A for GM preferred class A
Warrants = Root symbol followed by an apostrophe (‘)
Example: GM’ for GM warrants
Warrants = Root symbol followed by ‘’n
w/Class where n designates the class of the issue
Example: GM’’A for GM warrants class A
When = Root symbol followed by ‘D
Distributed Example: GM’D for GM when distributed
When Issued = Root symbol followed by ‘I
Example: GM’I for GM when issued
Rights = Root symbol followed by ‘R
Example: GM’R for GM rights
When Issued = Root symbol followed by ‘IR
Rights Example: GM’IR for GM when-issued rights
Units = Root symbol followed by ‘U
Example: GM’U for GM units
Stocks — Nasdaq
NASDAQ symbols do not follow the convention above. Symbols are instead 4 or 5 alpha characters in length; the 5th character (if any) denotes security types described in the chart below. For instance, NASDAQ symbol TICOU represents Trinity Enterprises Corp Units because the 5th char ‘U’ is used by NASDAQ to identify ‘Units’ issues.
Below are NASDAQ’s fifth alpha chars and a description of what each represents:
|
A = Class A J = Voting |
N = Third preferred, same company O = Second preferred, same company P = First preferred, same company Q = Bankruptcy***
R = Rights S = Shares of Beneficial interest T = With warrants or with rights U = Units V = When issued and when distributed W = Warrants Y = ADR (American Depository Receipts Y = ADR (American Depository Receipts Z = Miscellaneous situations such as certificates of participation, stubs, foreign preferred when issued |
* The letter ‘C’ indicates that the issuer has been
granted a continuance in NASDAQ under an exception to the qualification
standards for a limited period.
** The letter ‘E’ indicates that the Association has
determined that the issuer is delinquent in its required filings
with the SEC.
*** The letter ‘Q indicates that the issuer is involved in
bankruptcy proceedings.
Options on Non-Nasdaq Stocks
Options whose underlying stocks are listed on exchanges OTHER than Nasdaq use the common stock symbol followed by a space and 2 alpha chars. The first alpha char represents the month code (i.e. the month in which the option expires); the second alpha char represents the strike price code. Month code and strike code tables are found beneath the examples which follow:
Symbol for an IBM July 95 call option: IBM GS
Where G represents July calls
Where S represents a strike of 95
Symbol for a GM August 55 put option: GM TK
Where T represents August puts
Where K represents a strike of 55
Symbol for a CPQ October 135 call option: CPQ JD
Where J represents October calls
Where G represents a strike of 135
Call Put Strike
Code Code Code Strike
A January M A 05
B February N B 10
C March O C 15
D April P D 20
E May Q E 25
F June R F 30
G July S G 35
H August T H 40
I September U I 45
J October V J 50
K November W K 55
L December X L 60
M 65
N 70
O 75
P 80
Q 85
R 90
S 95
T 100
Exception: The option’s root symbol may not match the stock symbol; where many options are listed under a given root symbol, the exchange may designate one or more additional root symbols (called ‘dummy’ or ‘extension’ symbols) to accommodate the limitations of the first symbol. This eliminates any duplication, e.g. if an IBM April 50 and April 150 strike were to be listed, each would use IBM DJ; the exchange might choose to use IBM DJ for the 50 strike and IBZ DJ for the 150 strike.
Options on NASDAQ Stocks
Options whose underlying stocks are listed on NASDAQ do not employ the common stock symbol in the root of the option symbol. Exchange rules dictate that all options on stocks must use no more than 1-3 alpha chars. Because NASDAQ stock symbols are 4 or 5 chars in length, exchanges listing options on NASDAQ stocks choose a 3-char ‘dummy’ stock symbol as the root of the option symbol. The ‘dummy’ stock symbol is followed by a space and 2 alpha chars in the same way described in #3 above (Options on Non-Nasdaq Stocks). Examples are as follows:
Symbol for a MSFT December 105 put option: MSQ ZA
Where Z represents December puts
Where A represents a strike of 105
Symbol for an AAPL March 50 call option: AAQ CJ
Where C represents March calls
Where J represents a strike of 50
Specific Exchange Option Creation
To receive updating quotes on an option trading on a secondary exchange, simply type in the symbol based on the following code: Symbol+=+Exchange Code+Space+Opra code
For example: XRN=X HG