The letter X has a variety of meanings in the financial environment. In its simplest form, X is an abbreviation for “ex.” The symbols X and XD are frequently used in newspapers and online financial sites to indicate that a stock is trading ex-dividend (without a dividend) or ex-rights (without rights attached). The letter X is also used as a Nasdaq stock symbol to indicate a mutual fund. When viewing Nasdaq-listed securities, the letter X will be listed as the fifth letter. If the letter X appears, it alerts a buyer or seller that the listed security is something other than a single issue of common stock or capital stock. The letter X also represents the “unknown” in mathematical and financial equations and computations. |
