Investing Web Sites in the Toolbox

Discussion in 'Stock Market Forum' started by baudwalk, Nov 3, 2015.

  1. baudwalk

    baudwalk Senior Investor

    Joined:
    May 2015
    Posts:
    1,459
    Likes Received:
    13
    The thread How do you follow the latest news on the markets? seemed somewhat popular. It was mostly a quick look at broadcast and web media resources I look at on a daily basis. This thread is a look at additional web resources in my toolbox.

    Since 1993, when I began to explore the web and put up my first web site, financial and investing web sites have attracted my attention. Many have come, merged and gone. Others are rubbish, seemingly just fronts for selling something. Other web sites lack timeliness, and lose credibility. My bookmark list is weeded out on a regular basis.

    Anyone investing in the market knows of the usual web resources: Bloomberg, CNBC, Google Finance, MarketWatch, Motley Fool, Yahoo Finance, and Zacks.
    These are some of the additional web sites that currently attract my attention. Unlike those resources mentioned in the thread above-mentioned, I don't look at these sites on a daily basis, perhaps not even weekly. Let's say frequently and leave it at that. (The incessant TV commercials afford much evening reading time...)

    As you look through the groupings below, please consider what additional resources you look at, and why, and share them with board members.

    [SIZE=-1]And just a side note. I use a Samsung 10" SM-P605V tablet and a.Samsung S6 phone. PCs (Windows and Mac) are annoying at best and I no longer have interest in being tormented by missing files, updates and the silliness of huge unmanageable cloud-based product suites. Flash and Silverlight should be dumped in the dustbin of old 0's and 1's. I ignore web sites that have popups and adverts that slide over a screen, and I don't like things that go bump in the night. The web sites below are reasonably clean and well-behaved on the tablet and phone.
    [/SIZE]
    Market Perspectives

    • Dash of Insight : A weekly balanced look at the markets and external influences -- the Fed, goverment agency data, et al -- detached from the "noise" of the usual culprits found in the populist business media. Food for thought.
    • Crossing Wall Street : Eddy Elfenbein's analyses and perspective of the market, buy-and-hold strategies, and newsletter is a calming voice as an alternative to the frenetic behavior found elsewhere. Nothing to buy here, just more food for thought. I do recommend you sign up for his free newsletter (no reselling emails to third parties).

    News

    • Business Etc : A USA-centric comprehensive business news site with a nominal 10 sub-categories including technology, energy, consumer discretionary, financials and telecom.
    • Business Insider : A USA-centric business news website that wanders off hard news into some general interest subjects. BI does seem to break some stories. Ignore the sponsored content at the page bottom.
    • China.org.cn Business : Covering most (all?) aspects of Chinese business, this English language site offers more China business news than I've seen elsewhere. I don't expect the coverage to be as transparent as that found in western media, but I think it's worth a read if the Chinese economy is of interest to you.
    • Investor's Business Daily : A USA-centric comprehensive business news organization, offering research, news, education courses, and much more, that doesn't seem to get the attention I think it deserves. The site is clean and easy to use. Have a read and see what you think.

    Other

    • CNBCfix : Tip of the hat to our moderator JR for alerting us to this seeker of truth website that calls out CNBC and others for at least some of the ludicrous nonsense.
    • Financial Vizualizations : Enter a stock symbol, and the free version produces an easy-to-read chart and a ton of statistics and data on one page. I have advanced charting in my brokerage's app/web site (I don't need this site's advanced charting), but this is useful to get a quick look at stocks you are exploring. Just open a second browser window and have fun. I don't pretend to be a chartist, but in response to a question elsewhere, I dug these links -- http://www.bullmarketboard.com/thre...chnical-Analysis?p=31226&viewfull=1#post31226 -- out of my bookmarks.
    • Investopedia : The reference encyclopedia for finance and investing, it is a must-have tool in the kitbag of investors and would-be investors. Moneychimp may also be of supplemental interest to new and would-be investors, but it is not a substitute for Investopedia.
    • Kitco Metals : All things gold and silver, this site has current news and tracks spot prices around the globe.
    • Stock Options Channel : An quick and easy-to-use options reference website to explore your options.
    • U.S. Federal Reserve System : Skip what the Fed is about, overlook the numbers of consumer information offerings and go directly to Monetary Policy section to read the FOMC policies and statements. Will Yellen and company raise rates or not? Find out here.
    • U.S.Government Printing Office Federal Data System : The GPO FDsys is a Content Management System (CMS) with free online, searchable access to documents from all three branches of government. I suggest reading the overview first.
    • U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission : Ignoring what the SEC is about or does, or the tools and calculators to help with investment decisions, look at the huge list of online resource publications and, in particular, how to use EDGAR, their online database of company reports. If statistical market data interests you, do have a look at the SEC's Market Structure and be prepared to be amazed. This section of the SEC website is astounding. Have fun.
    • Wikipedia: List of Exchanges : A comprehensive list of stock exchanges around the world is reasonably current. It's interesting to look in when markets are open.

    Breaking news, such as the recent Chinese market foibles and port explosions, earthquakes and weather, aircraft and shipping incidents and other attention-getting events, may affect markets but the business/finance/investing news sources may be slow to inform or lack details. The ABC, BBC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC networks may be lacking too. I like to look at local news sources for more detailed information. These sites, among others, should help.


    And I use Twitter as well. (I prefer TweetCaster (Pro) -- available for Android and iOS -- and TweetDeck over the default app and web site.) If I find a person or web site that may of interest, I'll follow using Twitter. Rather than bookmarking and periodically visiting the website to root out what's new, a short Twitter message attracts my attention. If there are enough tweets to continually attract my attention, then the site makes it into my bookmarks.

    I hope this helps. Comments, questions are welcome. What web resources attract your attention?

    [SIZE=-1]Typos and strange spelling mistakes are attributable to the tablet's strange autocorrect. I know better. I just didn't catch them.[/SIZE] :)
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2015
  2. JR Ewing

    JR Ewing Super Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2014
    Posts:
    4,950
    Likes Received:
    39
    Thanks. Great info.

    I wasn't even aware of these internets until around '96 or so, and I never bothered to fool with them until around '99.
     

Share This Page