Curbstone broker

Curb brokers in Wall Street in 1920, a year before much of the trading was moved into a dedicated exchange building. That year, journalist Edwin C. Hill described the curb trading on lower Broad Street as "a roaring, swirling whirlpool... like nothing else under the astonishing sky that is its only roof."[1]

The phrase curbstone broker, curb-stone broker or curb broker refers to a broker who conducts trading on the literal curbs of a financial district. Such brokers were prevalent in the 1800s and early 1900s, and the most famous curb market existed on Broad Street in the financial district of Manhattan. Curbstone brokers often traded stocks that were speculative in nature, as well as stocks in small industrial companies such as iron, textiles and chemicals (see curb trading).[2] Efforts to organize and standardize the market started early in the 20th century under notable curb-stone brokers such as Emanuel S. Mendels.[2][3]

  1. ^ When Stocks Came in From the Cold (September 30, 2010). "Christopher Gray". The New York Times. New York City, New York.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Mendels was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Father of the Curb Dead; Emanuel S. Mendels, Jr., Elevated Trade and Routed Dishonest Brokers". The New York Times. New York City, New York. October 18, 1911. p. 11. Retrieved April 21, 2017.