Incredible Images Of Wall Street Trading Before The Bloomberg Terminal

From Business Insider -Incredible Images Of Wall Street Trading Before The Bloomberg Terminal

You will notice in the lower part of the ticker display there is an indication of how late the ticker was running. Before trading became fully computerized which took a lot longer than people thought the tick would always run late during the day. The degree of lack was dependant upon the volume of trading – during market upheavals the tape could run several hours late. This is why brokers used to depend upon their floor operators to keep them clued into what was happening and to also act independently – something operators can no longer. The advent of screen trading has in many ways been a boon for traders – it means that I have everything I need in the palm of my hand. However, it hasn’t been a bonanza for some instruments. The move to screen trading has been one of the factors that has killed options trading locally. Before screen trading a good option broker was worth their weight in gold – they knew all the other operators and market makers and were integral to operating a successful trading business. A good operator could get large orders filled and get you out of a sticky situation much better than screen trading ever could/