15 Resources for Fast Financial Information
by Heather Johnson
The savvy investor knows that it is essential to set trends rather than follow them. If you want to make any money in the markets, you need to be ahead of the tide rather than getting swept away by it.
There are numerous blogs and websites that offer excellent insight into market tendencies and present solid suggestions on where you should focus your investment dollars. But, if the information is any good, then everyone already knows about it and is reading it along with you; so much for breaking out of the pack.
So, how does a sophisticated investor gain separation from the field?
Sometimes the only way to get anywhere is to do a bit of your own legwork. Your most important ally in the never-ending struggle of anticipating the markets is pure, raw information. Luckily, much of this timely data can be easily accessed in a manner that will allow you to analyze it, form your own opinions, and make a decision that will best help you reach your own personal goals.
Use these fifteen resources to make your stock picks and others might soon be paying you to pick for them.
- Federal Reserve Economic Indicators: This Fed site list current information that can affect a number of financial sectors. Knowledge of indicators such as housing, CPI, and GDP can be invaluable as you consider your investment strategy.
- Federal Reserve Research: The Fed also conducts in-depth research from some of the top economists in the world. This resource provides their latest results.
- Economic Statistics Briefing Room: This White House resource provides data regarding income, production, output, and employment as well as other useful indicators.
- National Bureau of Economic Research: This site has a wealth of data, including price indexes, forex rates, interest rates, and PPI.
- US Census Bureau Indicators: The US Census provides important information on indicators in real estate, trade, and industry trends.
- Economic Indicators: In addition to reports form the Census Bureau, this site provides information from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and other reliable resources.
- GPO Access: This useful website provides reports on Federal finance, wages, and prices, all of which can help clarify a variety investment dilemmas.
- StockCloud: This site simplifies your life by conveniently collecting and compiling press releases for stocks in almost any industry.
- 4CastWeb: 4Cast allows you to obtain up-to-the-minute analysis from a number of sources, including financial markets and central banks.
- BizJournals: This site provides news on the dealings of major businesses well before their events make headlines in the finance section of your local paper.
- Investica: Investica provides detailed and timely information and analysis, going well beyond that which is typically reported to the uninformed masses.
- The Conference Board: If you are involved in international investment, this site is a must. It provides indexes with signals of peaks and troughs in the business cycle for nine different countries worldwide.
- The Financials: This site will help you anticipate upcoming market events and find out what is moving before it takes its first step.
- Financial Forecast Center: See the future with this site. A number of important forecasts, including essentials like employment, credit, and prices, can be found here.
- Bloomberg Economic Calendar: It is always important to keep upcoming events in mind when conducting any financial transaction. Use this site and you'll never be caught off-guard again
Heather Johnson is a freelance finance and economics writer, as well as a regular contributor for CurrencyTrading.net, a site for currency trading and forex trading information. Heather welcomes comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address: heatherjohnson2323@gmail.com
