Wall Street gets taste of Aloha

As the closing bell rang out at the New York Stock Exchange today, traders looked up to see a sea of aloha shirts, flower lei, and shaka signs. Managers and board members of Central Pacific Bank were in New York City to celebrate their parent company’s new listing on the NYSE — making it only the fourth Hawaii company traded there. Central Pacific Bank is Hawaii’s third largest commercial bank and the primary holding of CPB Inc., now on the “Big Board” under the stock symbol CPF.

“It’s an honor and privilege to participate in the excitement of Wall Street and closing bell ceremonies,” said CPB President and CEO Clint Arnoldus, who had the honor of ringing the famous bell. “This is indeed a momentous occasion for we’ve come a long way since our first public stock listing in 1987.

“To be listed on the prestigious NYSE is a result of years of hard work and I would like to especially recognize our employees for their dedication and commitment,” Arnoldus said.

CPF debuted on the NYSE on Dec. 31. Today was a good day for its stock, which closed up $0.47 to $28.72 per share.

The other Hawaii companies listed with the NYSE are Bank of Hawaii (BOH), Hawaiian Electric Industries (HE), and ML Macadamia Orchards (NUT).

On an average day, 1.38 billion shares valued at $42.5 billion trade on the NYSE, the world’s largest market. The NYSE has nearly 2,800 listed companies, with a combined total global market capitalization of $12.3 trillion.