Thursday, December 2, 2010

History of Charging Bull or Wall Street Bull

The Charging Bull (sometimes called the Wall Street Bull or the Bowling Green Bull) is a 3,200 kg (7,000 pound) bronze sculpture by Arturo Di Modica that sits in Bowling Green park near Wall Street in New York City.  The depiction of a bull, leaning back on its haunches, with its head lowered and ready to charge, is a symbol of a prosperous or UP financial market.

The sculpture has become a destination for tourists in the Financial District. It has also come to be an unofficial symbol of the Financial District itself, and it often appears in the local news media to punctuate stories about optimism in the financial market.
 
The sculptor, Di Modica, designed and made the statue as a gift to the people of New York City, hoping to bring back optimism after the 1987 stock market crash and as a symbol of the "strength and power of the American people." He spent some $360,000 to create and install the sculpture. He chose a site in Lower Manhattan, placing it under a Christmas tree in the middle of Broad Street in front of the New York Stock Exchange. The sculpture was an instant hit, but since it was placed without a permit, the police removed it to an impound lot. Public outcry was immediate. The NYC Department of Parks and Recreation responded by moving the bull to a spot several blocks south of the Stock Exchange, where it is now in the plaza at Bowling Green, facing up Broadway.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Have you ever wondered about the differences between an ETF & a Mutual fund?

Because it trades like a stock, an ETF does not have its net asset value (NAV) calculated every day like a mutual fund does.

By owning an ETF, you get the diversification of an index fund as well as the ability to sell short, buy on margin and purchase as little as one share. Another advantage is that the expense ratios for most ETFs are lower than those of the average mutual fund. When buying and selling ETFs, you have to pay the same commission to your broker that you'd pay on any regular order.


Yes, indeed, ETFs are an interesting and often cost effective trading product.