Guest Post: Top 3 Websites to Get Financial and Stock News

Melanie DeMonte is a retired stock broker who worked at the TSX for 15 years. She’s now a private financial adviser.

As an important factor in the increasing or diminishing confidence levels of major players in the investment world- whose collective decisions can make or break the economy- the stock market, it turns out, does matter.  A major key to our economy making a full recovery is for confidence to be restored across the board in, among other things, the stock market. In order for that to happen, it’s vital that more people understand and follow it.

As we all adjust to our new reality, featuring a world that is post-leverage and less dependent on castles in the sky, the stock market remains as forward looking a meter of the life and times of the finance world as is currently available.

If you plan to follow the stock market, it’s important that you have at least a basic understanding of what you see. Three important things to grasp that can give you a basic understanding of the stock market are 1) what the stocks themselves are 2) the reason trends are important, and 3 )the role of trading strategies.

Stocks are literally small pieces of companies that the companies have put on the market to raise extra capital. When you buy stock in a company, you go into business with that company. Although you may not know a company’s reasons for selling their stocks, it’s important to get to know a bit about any given company before investing in it.

Market trends can either work for you or against you, but either way, it’s important to understand them. Trends can help you decide which stocks to invest in for a good chance of profit and which to avoid, so keep an eye on how a stock performs over time before deciding to purchase it.

Trading strategies play an important role in the fluctuations of the stock market. Long-term strategies involve holding onto your shares for longer periods of time in order to reap long-term gains. Short-term strategies are more risky and involve keeping an eye out for stocks with sharp rising trends, buying them, making a quick profit, and then selling them before the trend ends.

Financial news websites can give you a well-rounded picture of the stock market and its current trends and climate. Here are three of the best sites where you can find solid financial news.

Globe Advisor
GlobeAdvisor.com features a wealth of relevant industry release, mutual fund, and stock market news. Market action trend graphs and crucial index levels including recent gains and losses are featured directly on the home page for easy access. There is also a list of top performing stocks and handy fund and market update alerts that you can have sent directly to your email.


The Street
Besides all the typical stock market news and trend updates, TheStreet.com features videos of stock-related newsworthy tidbits for an easier audiovisual grasp on the market. This website also features lively discussions on the latest market news that can help you become a part of the action.


Market Watch
MarketWatch.com’s specialty is its intelligent commentary on the latest market news and trends. Experts offer insight and educated views on the latest happenings completely free of charge. MarketWatch.com is a site with a great grasp on the market and what makes it tick.

The world of finance is far too complicated to be measured by any one means in a way that is comprehensively accurate, even if that one means is as far-reaching as the stock market. Still, following the stock market can give us a picture of the current financial climate that is better than almost any other available gauge.