Glossary - W

Trading terms beginning with W

Wall Street
_{What Does Wall Street Mean?}

1. A street in lower Manhattan that is the original home of the New York Stock Exchange. The street is the historic headquarters of the largest U.S. brokerages and investment banks. Many have since relocated to other areas of Manhattan and the United States. Wall Street was named after the wooden wall Dutch colonists built in this area in 1653 to defend themselves from the British and Native Americans.
2. The collective name for the financial and investment community, which includes stock exchanges and large banks, brokerages, securities and underwriting firms and big businesses. Some people believe that the interests of these big firms contrasts those of smaller businesses, or "Main Street".