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Wall Street is the name of narrow thoroughfare in lower Manhattan running east from Broadway downhill to the East River. Considered to be the historical heart of the Financial District, it was the first permanent home of the New York Stock Exchange.
The phrase "Wall Street" is also used to refer to the financial markets as a whole. When contrasted to "Main Street", it can refer to big business interests as against those of small businesspeople.
The name of the street derives from the fact that during the 17th Century, it formed the northern boundary of the New Amsterdam settlement where the Dutch had constructed a crude wall of timer and earthwork. The wall was obstensibly meant as a defense against attack from Lenape Indians, New England colonists, and the British, but it was never tested in battle. The wall was dismantled by the British in 1699.
See also: The Wall Street Journal
Wall Street is also the name of a 1929 film produced by Harry Cohn and a 1987 film directed by Oliver Stone. See Wall Street (movie).
History