Wall Street

The eight-block street in lower Manhattan that serves as the symbolic heart of American finance, home to the New York Stock Exchange and historically surrounded by the headquarters of major banks and brokerages. The name is used colloquially to refer to the entire U.S. financial industry, including investment banks, hedge funds, and institutional asset managers. The street itself was named for a wooden wall built by Dutch colonists in the 1600s to protect the settlement of New Amsterdam.