Online Stock Market Programs
- Online programs help investors understand the stock market.stock market analysis screenshot image by .shock from Fotolia.com
The Internet has evolved to offer many complex and powerful software programs that are accessed directly in a Web browser. Stock market analysis often requires use of software to understand price action in any financial entity. Online stock market programs help investors identify good trading opportunities and monitor market activity. These programs can also help stock traders train for this competitive business. - A stock screener is a program that filters thousands of stocks based on specified criteria to provide potential investment candidates. The criteria used in a stock screener can vary widely. Some offer searches based on fundamental data, such as a company's debt or return on investment. But a screener may also look for stocks that recently made 52-week price highs. Most online stock screeners are available for free.
- Few investors participate in a stock without first looking at its price chart. Such charts can become quite complex when technical analysis tools are applied. Standalone charting software provides tools such as moving averages, but an increasing number of online websites also are providing complex charting programs. Two sites that offer substantial charting features are BigCharts and StockCharts.
- One of the most effective ways to learn the process of stock-market trading is to use a virtual account. These programs offer trading services similar to a real broker, but the accounts are funded with fake capital. The software environment may resemble that of an online broker and many of the features are identical. Two examples are the Virtual Stock Exchange at the Wall Street Journal website, and the program at HowtheMarketWorks.com.
