Value Microcaps Motherboard

[jtomm]

Reason for .OB and .PK on stocks

Firstly, Len, I totally agree with you that it's a pain in the butt to have to enter in .ob or .pk on yahoo. Especially when they give it to you anyway and just make you go through another click. Might not seem like much to them, but for people looking up lots of stock symbols, it's quite a waste of time. I'd prefer if they would just accept the four letter symbol and then it takes you right to the page which might then say "this is a pink sheet stock" or some other disclosure.

And that's how all this came about, as I recall. Nasdaq insisted on data providers differentiating between nasdaq stocks and bb stock and pink stocks. In theory, I don't think this is a bad idea, because a lot of people think if it's got a symbol it's all traded the same way. We know that's not true, so I really don't mind the idea of it being pointed out to the rookie investor because it is important. But it should be done in a way that lets you enter in just the four letter symbol and THEN there is in red letters "pink sheet" or something like that.

If I recall, this all came about when Nasdaq got involved with, and started the delisting process for, the BB stocks that didn't file with the SEC. Nasdaq was worried that because of its involvement, investors would now think that anything on the BB was the same as the Nasdaq.

Though they certainly don't publicize it much (or want it publicized), The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. now owns and operates the otcbb.

By comparison, if McDonald's owns Boston Chicken, there's really no confusion because people realize that one company can own two separate businesses that do two entirely separate things. They're both restaurants, but the similarities end there.

However, it gets a bit merkier when it's two different businesses in the securities business and both involve ticker symbols. I think Nasdaq just thought it's way too easy for the average person to think it's all the same business. And that's why they insisted on the distinction.

They certainly haven't done much to police it though, because almost every data provider but yahoo accepts a four letter symbol without any additional designation of bb or pink.

But anyway, just as an fyi, that's how I recall all this coming about.

http://www.nasdaqtrader.com/Trader/1998/vendoralerts/va1998-11.stm