NYSE trading floor empties out as trading moves to electronic exchanges

The L.A. Times reports:

Last year, the Big Board was responsible for only a third of all trades in the U.S., down from more than three-quarters four years ago. Nasdaq saw a similar decline in market share.

At the same time, a growing portion of the transactions handled by the Big Board are processed entirely by electronic means. As a result, the NYSE trading floor has been emptying out. About 1,500 people work on the floor today, down from 3,000 a decade ago. The brokers on the floor are left entering trades into their electronic handsets and monitoring the progress while they occasionally wander around the trading floor.

An ominous sign for old, central cities.