BMRT 11000: Intro to Business: Internet Sources (stock quotes & other info)

• Internet financial sites are great sources for up-to-date stock market information. 
• They also provide information about company histories, personal finances, investing, etc.  
• It is usually not necessary to consult numerous sites; they generally have the same basic information on each one. 
• Select 2 or 3 from the examples in this guide, learn their features, and then check them often.
• Also check the "home pages" of companies (see comments below)
• NOTE:  Never "pay" for additional or "premium" information.  This information is probably already available to you in the research databases (Netadvantage, for example).

Company web sites are a great sources of information.  Directories and other sources can provide the URL or a quick Google search on the company's name should provide a link.

IMPORTANT:  The compnay will provide you with the information that it wants you to have.  In most cases, there will be a distinct bias in portraying the company in the best light.  Just beware!

A stock exchange is a physical market where shares of stock and common stock equivalents are bought and sold.  Each exchange has a web site that offers stock quotes, gloassary of terms, and extensive financial information.  The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq are the top US exchanges.

New York Stock Exchange is the world's largest stock exchange.  It merged with the fully electronic stock exchange, Euronext, in 2007 and is now referred to as NYSE Euronext.  In 2008, NYSE also acquired Amex, the third largest stock exchange by trading volume.

The Nasdaq Stock Market is the largest electronic screen-based equity securities trading market in the United States and fourth largest by market capitalization in the world.  With approximately 3,700 companies and corporations, it has more trading volume than any other stock exchange in the world. Nasdaq originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations," but the exchange's official stance is that the acronym is obsolete.

This list was complied by RUSA (Reference and User Services), a division of the American Library Association

American Corporations

Financial Data

US. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) 1994-
Provides 10-K, 20-F, proxy statements, some annual reports, and other financial statements of public companies filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Yahoo! Finance
Organized by Yahoo!, this meta site links to information on U.S. markets, world markets, data sources, finance references, investment editorials, financial news, and other helpful Web sites.

Big Charts
This commercial sources supplies a easy-to-use online charting and investment research Web sites providing access to interactive charts, quotes, reports and indicators on over 50,000 stocks, mutual funds, market indexes, and historical quotes back to 1985.

Daily Stocks
A stock-screening site, with links to stock quotes, profiles, charts, news, SEC filings, market commentary and more.

Public Register's Annual Report Service
America's largest annual report service which provides, free of charge, company financials, including annual reports, prospectuses or 10-Ks on over 3,600 public companies.

Annual Report Service
FREE directory of online annual reports available on the web.

Directories

e-Secretaryofstate.com
All businesses are legally required to file application and statement forms with their respective Secretary of State's office. This internet site includes links to Secretary of State Offices in each state of the U.S.

Hoover's Corporate Register
This site gives links to company home pages. It also has a subscription service portion that contains profiles for 12 million companies, including 40,000 in-depth. The profiles include contact information, a review of the company, and more.

Fortune 500
Search this list of links to companies or access the list in various ranked orders.

Forbes Lists
Search the Forbes ranked lists of companies and other Forbes lists, including the "200 Best Small Companies," the "400 Best Big Companies," and the "International 500."

Business Wire
Many news stories never make it into print, even in local or specialized publications. Consult electronic wire services for corporate press releases.

ThomasNet (Thomas Register of Manufacturers)
Search across 607,000 manufacturers across the U.S. and Canada. A good resource for business-to-business information needs. Also provides a means to trace a brand name back to its manufacturer.