Execs, celebs, heroes and animals ring the bells at the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq. What better way to mark their standing in the business world than to perch above the exchange floor and press a button that says trading in New York has begun? It is with some wonder then that, in an era when high-speed technology and competition have reshaped and depopulated once-packed exchanges, a simple brass bell remains the clinking heart of Wall Street. Because unlike the bygone ticker-tape machine or Quotron devices, the bell still exerts a certain pull on the popular imagination.

The exchange is booked with requests into next year, NYSE Euronext spokesman Richard Adamonis said. Its bells sound more like chimes, while the exchange, unlike the NYSE, gives ringers the opportunity for a short speech beforehand. Or else they represent products put out by these companies. Such was the case when the actor Robert Downey Jr.

Exchange member the Walt Disney Co. That was also the reason why the storied exchange let sea otters and penguins roam the trading floor in April: But there are also feel-good events and ones to honor heroes. The Make-A-Wish Foundation has arranged for children with terminal illnesses to ring the bell.

Perhaps one of the most powerful ceremonies was on Sept. Since the s there have been occasional guest ringers, but for the most part it was a duty without glamour.

That meant letting media broadcast on the exchange floor for the first time and lining up guest bell-ringers to open and close the market each day. Another part was tactical. Doing so would help the NYSE tout its own brand as the center of the business universe, Adamonis noted. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will pass through. Some now ask notable guests to autograph pairs of oversized, foam-rubber Incredible Hulk fists. The hope is one day to auction the fists for charity.

Before the exchange had its bells, it used a gong. To get to it, you must go up a small flight of steps past the Starbucks and a security gate. Ringers press a green button to sound the bells, one of which is semi-hidden in a mesh cage on the wall behind the balcony. The bell is about the size of a large pizza.

NYSE: The Bell

The podium also has an orange button, to signal temporary pauses in trading, and a red one to serve as backup in case the green button fails.

A gavel sits next to the red button, and it is used to punctuate the close of the market.

Opening Bell

Visitors to the balcony are reminded not to touch the buttons. While the markets no longer depend on the bell to open and close trading, the tradition of ringing it shows no sign of fading. Even with all of its stagecraft, sometimes a bell-ringing ceremony gets infused with real-life drama. On August 22, executives and directors of Unity Bancorp, a small community bank based in the Hunterdon County town of Clinton, hopped on a rented bus and headed for Times Square.

But as the bankers made their way east, they got the news: Nasdaq officials told the bankers to come on up anyway. But it resumed around 3: Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy.

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View full size Paul Stanley of rock band Kiss holds a gavel to mark the close of the New York Stock Exchange. View full size Prudential Financial executives celebrated their initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in December View full size Jon Bon Jovi had the honors of ringing the NYSE bell on Sept. View full size Unity Bancorp coincidentally was scheduled to ring the closing bell on the same day the Nasdaq Stock Market halted trading for three hours.

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