Stock Market Information Resources

AlphaTrade.com

Lehman Brothers Inc.

Guide to Stock Market Information Resources

By Doug Dannon
Do your homework: Have all the stock market information before you trade

Scientist Albert Einstein once said "genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." Well, success often follows that same formula when it comes to investment decisions. Analysts and experts say that the key to smart investing in the stock market comes from having stock market information resources to provide the right information.

In modern times, there are more information resources for stocks for the public than there has ever been. Publicly-traded companies must file quarterly earnings reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), not to mention filing a report every time a decision is made which could impact the price of the equity.

For the investor, that means information about stocks, industry resources and other information is easy to find. Organizing that information and making sense of it, however, is a whole other matter. Information resources for stocks which can be useful:

1. Price of the stock or equity and how it may have changed over the last month, quarter and year.

2. Events which may impact the price of the company's stock, such as mergers, acquisitions or related global events.

3. Filings and disclosures available through the SEC.

Action Steps

The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Stock market information through stock brokerages The first place to look for stock resource should be through the company you are trading through. Firms such as Fidelity allow you to open a free account and offer reasonable fees for trading. In the online environment, you can set up 'watch lists' of companies to keep track of each time you log in. A wealth of information is available through the trading companies; you can track the current and past stock price, how it compares to competitors and what financial analysts think about the company.

I recommend:  Other popular trading companies are E*Trade and TD Ameritrade, both offer free accounts and a lot of information.

Stock market info from the wires There are a wide range of news services and news wire services which provide a wealth of information about stocks, industry resources and analysis. Most news-oriented websites allow searchable access to the Associated Press newswire or information from Bloomberg News Services. However, there are other companies that offer custom services to provide reference materials for stocks, so you can get an email every time the company sends out a press release or gives out information.

I recommend:  Business Wire offers a free investor relations service to send alerts daily or weekly about a company. Bloomberg News Services also offers news searchable by ticker symbol. It's an efficient way to get reference materials for stocks when it's needed.

Find stock market information from the source Nearly every publicly-traded company offers a wealth of information on its website. Always look for the 'investor relations' section, and it's easy to find annual reports and quarterly earnings reports. Some companies even post webcasts of quarterly conference calls hosted by the CEO and other executives.

I recommend:  Another place to turn for stock market information resources is the SEC. The SEC service called Edgar offers access to every quarterly earnings statement, annual statement and any information which may change the value of a company. It's good info about the stock market and it's free.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• Stay up-to-date on a company as an investor. If you dedicate one hour each day to staying current with stock market analysis, you won't be as surprised when events change the price of an investment.