Levi Strauss stocks

Shares of Levi Strauss surged after it began trading as a public company for the second time in the clothing brand’s 166-year history.

The shares were priced Wednesday at $17 and opened for trading Thursday at $22.22, a gain of 31 percent. At the close, Levi rose 32 percent to $22.41.

In a rare move, the New York Stock Exchange suspended its “no jeans” policy to commemorate the offering, transforming the floor from suits and ties into a sea of blue denim, with its traders sporting jeans and denim jackets.