The Buying and Selling of Shares The business of buying and selling shares is done in an area known the floor. Scattered over the floor are positions called posts. Each post bears the names of the stocks traded at that post. A broker desiring to buy shares of a certain stock will go to the section of the post allotted to that stock. If the prevailing price of the stock is several points (31) from the figure the broker is authorized to pay, an order may be left with the specialist, who often acts as liaison (32) buyer and seller. The specialist enters the order in a book; (33) the price is reached, the specialist buys or sells the stock (34) to the orders of the broker and reports the transaction to the buyer and the seller. If the prevailing quotations are close (35) the price the broker is authorized to by, however, he or she usually attempts (36) complete the transaction without recourse to the specialist. As soon as a price is agreed on, both brokers, the buyer and the seller, make a memorandum of the transaction. which is reported (37) the brokerage office at once by telephone. An exchange employee (38) the post where the transaction occurs writes, on a special card. the stock symbol, the number of shares, and the price, and places the card in an optical reader. The photoelectric eye of the card reader scans tire pencil marks (39) transmits the information to a compute. The computer records the information in its memory banks and transmits the details of the transaction (40) more than 25,400 electrical tickers and display devices in the U. S., Canada. and Europe. (31)