diff --git a/cli/main.py b/cli/main.py
index d6f2b72ce..3074271d6 100644
--- a/cli/main.py
+++ b/cli/main.py
@@ -505,15 +505,18 @@ def get_user_selections():
     console.print(
         create_question_box(
             "Step 1: Ticker Symbol",
-            "Enter the exact ticker symbol to analyze, including exchange suffix when needed (examples: SPY, CNC.TO, 7203.T, 0700.HK)",
+            "Enter the ticker, with exchange suffix when needed (e.g. SPY, 0700.HK, BTC-USD)",
             "SPY",
         )
     )
     selected_ticker = get_ticker()
     asset_type = detect_asset_type(selected_ticker)
-    console.print(
-        f"[green]Detected asset type:[/green] {asset_type.value}"
-    )
+    # Only announce when it's not the default stock path, to avoid printing
+    # "stock" on every run.
+    if asset_type.value != "stock":
+        console.print(
+            f"[green]Detected asset type:[/green] {asset_type.value}"
+        )
 
     # Step 2: Analysis date
     default_date = datetime.datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m-%d")
@@ -639,29 +642,6 @@ def get_user_selections():
     }
 
 
-def get_ticker():
-    """Get ticker symbol from user input, preserving exchange suffixes."""
-    # typer.prompt strips trailing dot-suffixes on some shells (e.g. 000404.SH
-    # collapses to 000404). questionary.text reads the raw line.
-    ticker = questionary.text(
-        "",
-        validate=lambda value: (
-            not value.strip()
-            or (
-                all(ch.isalnum() or ch in "._-^" for ch in value.strip())
-                and len(value.strip()) <= 32
-            )
-        )
-        or "Please enter a valid ticker symbol, e.g. AAPL, 000404.SZ, 0700.HK.",
-    ).ask()
-
-    if ticker is None:
-        console.print("\n[red]No ticker symbol provided. Exiting...[/red]")
-        raise typer.Exit(1)
-
-    return (ticker.strip() or "SPY").upper()
-
-
 def get_analysis_date():
     """Get the analysis date from user input."""
     while True:
@@ -1076,7 +1056,8 @@ def run_analysis(checkpoint: bool = False):
 
         # Add initial messages
         message_buffer.add_message("System", f"Selected ticker: {selections['ticker']}")
-        message_buffer.add_message("System", f"Detected asset type: {selections['asset_type']}")
+        if selections["asset_type"] != "stock":
+            message_buffer.add_message("System", f"Detected asset type: {selections['asset_type']}")
         message_buffer.add_message(
             "System", f"Analysis date: {selections['analysis_date']}"
         )
diff --git a/cli/utils.py b/cli/utils.py
index 900c3d95f..d6adb6fad 100644
--- a/cli/utils.py
+++ b/cli/utils.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ from tradingagents.llm_clients.model_catalog import get_model_options
 
 console = Console()
 
-TICKER_INPUT_EXAMPLES = "Examples: SPY, CNC.TO, 7203.T, 0700.HK"
+TICKER_INPUT_EXAMPLES = "SPY, 0700.HK, BTC-USD"
 
 ANALYST_ORDER = [
     ("Market Analyst", AnalystType.MARKET),
@@ -25,10 +25,19 @@ CRYPTO_SUFFIXES = ("-USD", "-USDT", "-USDC", "-BTC", "-ETH")
 
 
 def get_ticker() -> str:
-    """Prompt the user to enter a ticker symbol."""
+    """Prompt the user to enter a ticker symbol, preserving exchange suffixes.
+
+    Uses questionary.text (not typer.prompt, which strips trailing dot-suffixes
+    like ``000404.SH`` on some shells) and validates the symbol charset so an
+    obvious typo is caught before the run starts.
+    """
     ticker = questionary.text(
-        f"Enter the exact ticker symbol to analyze ({TICKER_INPUT_EXAMPLES}):",
-        validate=lambda x: len(x.strip()) > 0 or "Please enter a valid ticker symbol.",
+        f"Enter ticker symbol (e.g. {TICKER_INPUT_EXAMPLES}):",
+        validate=lambda x: (
+            not x.strip()
+            or (all(ch.isalnum() or ch in "._-^" for ch in x.strip()) and len(x.strip()) <= 32)
+            or "Please enter a valid ticker symbol, e.g. AAPL, 000404.SZ, 0700.HK."
+        ),
         style=questionary.Style(
             [
                 ("text", "fg:green"),
@@ -37,11 +46,11 @@ def get_ticker() -> str:
         ),
     ).ask()
 
-    if not ticker:
+    if ticker is None:
         console.print("\n[red]No ticker symbol provided. Exiting...[/red]")
         exit(1)
 
-    return normalize_ticker_symbol(ticker)
+    return normalize_ticker_symbol(ticker) if ticker.strip() else "SPY"
 
 
 def normalize_ticker_symbol(ticker: str) -> str:
diff --git a/tests/test_ticker_symbol_handling.py b/tests/test_ticker_symbol_handling.py
index 7fbe5315d..99db0b1eb 100644
--- a/tests/test_ticker_symbol_handling.py
+++ b/tests/test_ticker_symbol_handling.py
@@ -16,6 +16,14 @@ class TickerSymbolHandlingTests(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertIn("7203.T", context)
         self.assertIn("exchange suffix", context)
 
+    def test_single_get_ticker_no_shadow(self):
+        # Regression: cli/main.py had a duplicate get_ticker with an empty
+        # questionary prompt (rendered as a bare "?") that shadowed the
+        # descriptive one in cli/utils. Keep a single canonical definition.
+        import cli.main
+        import cli.utils
+        self.assertIs(cli.main.get_ticker, cli.utils.get_ticker)
+
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     unittest.main()