• The first call represents the beginning of a regular trading session on the stock exchange.

  • This is largely symbolic, since most of the trading is electronic, and trading is rarely held on a physical trading floor.
  • The first call provides an opportunity for exchanges to report news and improve marketable securities during an initial public offering (IPO).
  • Celebrities and dignitaries are often invited to ring the opening bell as a symbolic ritual for stock market traders.
  • The NYSE bell calendar lists all the people who should ring the first bell.