Introducing Cashtags: Twitter Takes Micro-Blogging To Stock Level

The micro-blogging community is about to get bigger with Twitter introducing what aims to be a faster, more concise way to monitor stocks. Meet cashtags -- the new hashtag that deviates from the usual '#' symbol and is represented by the dollar sign ($) to direct users exclusively to stock and financial results of various firms. For instance, if you're interested in finding out real-time stock values at Apple or General Electric, just look for $AAPL or $GE for the aggregated tweets on the subject. The new feature was announced 31 July 2012 by Twitter (@twitter) itself, "Now you can click on ticker symbols like $GE on twitter.com to see search results about stocks and companies." The development is not without controversy, however, with Howard Lindzon (@howardlindzon), co-founder and chief executive of StockTwits?calling dibs on the feature. In a blog post, Lindzon wrote "It?s interesting that Twitter has hijacked our creation of $TICKER ie. $AAPL. It only took four years to 'fill' this hole, though a few months back they told me in a detailed email it was not a hole they wanted to fill." He proceeds to write that Twitter has not given any acknowledgment of StockTwits or his efforts in the venture. The company has yet to comment on the matter.