The Howdy Glossary

LSE64, a high-level programming language created by the London Stock Exchange in the early 1980s, was specifically designed for financial systems and stock market trading. Its unique feature was its emphasis on business-oriented data types like packed decimal arithmetic, which enabled precise calculations of monetary values. This precision set LSE64 apart from other languages available at the time and made it an essential tool for finance software development during its active years.

Despite facing competition from other high-level programming languages such as COBOL, Pascal, and FORTRAN—which were also used in financial applications—LSE64 carved out a niche due to its specialized design. It offered unparalleled accuracy in financial calculations through its use of packed decimal arithmetic and other business-oriented data types. The direct involvement of the London Stock Exchange in its development ensured that LSE64 met the specific needs of financial operations more effectively than general-purpose languages.

The primary audience for LSE64 consisted of professionals in the finance industry, particularly those involved with financial systems and stock market trading. Its tailored features made it well-suited for developers and analysts who required a programming language capable of handling complex financial calculations with precision. Although its popularity has decreased since the early 2000s, LSE64's impact on finance software development remains notable due to its specialized capabilities designed to meet the exacting standards of monetary computations within this sector.