It can be easy to let something like the stock market consume your life. Odds are, at any time, there’s an exchange open somewhere. What’s more, any piece of news from around the globe, whether it be a flood in Thailand or a bloated balance sheet for a European country, can wind up being crucially important. So, in all of this, it can be easy to lose sight of the little things, the funny little roses that are worth stopping to smell.
And one such rose that’s worth taking a moment to sniff would be the tickers themselves that companies use as stock symbols. In all of the pouring over tickers that one does, it can be easy to miss the delightful little puns and jokes some companies have worked in. Either that or you’ve noticed them and didn’t really find them all that funny. Philistine. Either way, here’s a sampling:
Cedar Fair (FUN)
My, what a FUN stock symbol! In this case, it’s more than apt. Cedar Fair is an amusement park company that operates parks around the country, including the world famous Cedar Point that is often considered to be the home to the best roller coasters in the world.
ETF Tickers
The market for exchange traded funds is a hotbed for punny ticker symbols that reflect the markets they’re tracking. The two ETFs dealing with lumber are the iShares S&P Global Timber & Forestry Index Fund (WOOD) and the Guggenheim Timber ETF (CUT). One of the ETFs for the solar industry is the Guggenheim Solar ETF (TAN), and one wind-power ETF is the ISI Global Wind Energy Index Fund (FAN). First Trust’s NASDAQ Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure Index Fund (GRID) has a clever ticker, as does the Dow Jones-UBS Coffee ETN (JO). Finally, some are just very straight forward, like the Teucrium Corn Fund (CORN).
Gold Mining Stocks
Rangold Resources (GOLD) has a stock symbol that leaves little room for misunderstanding. As does AngloGold Ashanti Limited (AU) for those who know that the periodic symbol for gold is AU. There’s also one company that’s really difficult NOT to invest in when you look at microcap Goldrush Resources (GOD). I mean, who wouldn’t buy GOD?
Sotheby’s (BID)
Sotheby’s has been synonymous with auction houses ever since its first branch opened in London in 1744. However, their long-standing reputation for being the auctioneers of note didn’t keep them from working their own little pun into the stock symbol.
Restaurants
Yum! Brands (YUM) is the parent company of eateries like KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. Meanwhile, Chili’s and Maggiano’s Little Italy are owned by Brinker International (EAT).
