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Sydney Futures Exchange
Online
http://www.sfe.com.au/
A lot of work has gone into this site to make it both appealing and very
functional. The site is designed for all types of users, from students
to private traders, off shore investors to the general public. Users guides
are offered, a chat room, bookshop and information aplenty. If you are
a member, you can customise the site to open up the way you want it to,
offering you the info you need, and circumventing the extraneous stuff
another user group might call interesting. There's a nifty little navigation
wheel for you to play with that looks a bit like the trivial pursuit gizmo.
Somehow I think that getting involved in futures is not so trivial at
all. You don't put a site like this together for chumps.
Verdict: Whiz! Bang! Pow! Zap! The future is here.
NetWorth: *****
ASX Quotes, Stock Exchange and Stock Market Data from the WebLink
http://www.weblink.com.au/login.asp
This full service Australian Stock Exchange site offers just about everything
you need to follow what is going on. Hourly updates, graphs, company announcements,
trends and so on are meticulously presented to members. Guests can see
what's going on, but not the absolute latest stuff. Once you become a
member you can even track your own portfolio, and all the share prices
can be emailed to you daily in a choice of 30 different formats. Membership
ranges from about $10-50 p.m. and you can also order CD's documenting
historical data so you can begin analysing the trends.
Verdict: A must have. - SS
NetWorth: *****
Commonwealth Securities Limited
http://www.comsec.com.au/
A wholly owned subsidiary of one of Australia's financial industry leaders,
the Commonwealth Bank, ComSec pitches itself both at the novice and experienced
trader. Public information available includes general market reports,
updates and commentary. As a client, you can make transactions over the
net, reducing paperwork and cost. Their chief role is to enable transactions,
rather than to be an advisory service. It is assumed that you know what
you want to do by the time you are doing business here.
Verdict: The big gun is taking the big step into on line share transactions.
NetWorth: ****
My Money
http://www.mymoney.com.au/home.asp
A complete financial advice and news centre for Australians offers a host
of sound information for anyone who wants to get their money working more
efficiently and effectively. As well as the tips and hints are warnings
about pitfalls and risky schemes. Taxation, superannuation, investment,
home loans, insurance and banking are all given the once over in a nicely
organised and attractively set out site. It's a combination of common
sense advice and expert inside knowledge that will surely appeal to those
not so much in the industry, but wishing to get a good grip on their financial
prospects.
Verdict: It's your money, use it wisely. - SS
NetWorth: ****
24 Hour Spot Gold Chart
http://kitco.com/gold.graph.html
At the time of review, this site was just about to get a major upgrade
to be able to provide almost instant updating of gold prices in it's charts.
All is well anyway. The info is still very up to date, and other precious
metals are given also. Kitco are a metal refining company for the precious
metal industry, so it serves their clients to offer pricing. Buy and sell
prices are listed in Canadian dollars. For you, it means keeping your
finger on the pulse, and knowing exactly when to start melting down your
grandmother's wedding ring and heading off to the pawn shop.
Verdict: Bookmark it for ease of use and convenience. - SS
NetWorth: ****
Charles Schwab Worldwide
http://www.schwab-worldwide.com/Asia
Access to the American Stock Market from the Asia-Pacific rim is achievable
online here just by filling out web-based forms. A full demo is offered,
where you take your account and start buying and selling to your heart's
content. Full access to news and information is provided once you become
a client. This could mark the end of the stock market as we know it. If
anyone anywhere can buy and sell shares instantly over the web, who knows
how this will affect the entire financial world's structure and operation.
This will certainly become a standard service any investment broker will
offer in the very near future. Add a chat page, for real time communication
with your broker and - bingo!
Verdict: Impressive and ominous at the same time. - SS
NetWorth: *****
Stockmaster Home Page
http://www.stockmaster.com/
One man sitting at his computer in Boston wanting to track his own shares
from home began putting this service together. Being a computer whiz certainly
helped, and Stockmaster has grown substantially to become the original
and one of the best places on the net to find everything you need to know.
Stocks, funds, makets, indexes and exchange rates are here, along with
portfolio tracking, a book store, detailed quotes and news. There is a
huge message board here as well, so you can browse the specific subject
of your choice, and check some incredibly detailed information.
Verdict: Who better to learn from than the Stockmaster himself? - SS
NetWorth: *****
Yahoo News Business Reuters
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/business/
From the computers of Yahoo and the desks of Reuters come the daily US
business news updates. It's a good partnership, since the news is bound
to be as pertinent as possible, while the links and topics available from
Yahoo are well placed to send you everywhere you could possibly want to
go to follow up any of the news stories you read. There is a search function
on the page specifically for the news articles, and a market snapshot
and "get quotes" box.
Verdict: Leaders in their field. What do you expect? Bookmark it. - SS
NetWorth: *****
Yahoo Finance World Markets
http://quote.yahoo.com/m2?u
Another great Yahoo area, the entire world finance markets presented in
detail. Charts and news are given for each country as well as detailed
views also available in spreadsheet format. If you sign up, you can track
your favourite stocks. There is also a currency conversion chart and calculator,
along with market closing times, so you know how long you have to rush
to your bedroom and pull out all the cash from under your mattress and
start buying.
Verdict: Another winner. - SS
NetWorth: ****
The Motley Fool - Finance and Folly
http://www.fool.com/
In olden days, the fool was the one who always told the king the truth,
since everyone else was too concerned with their own agendas of greed
and self importance to do so. This site was set up to inform, educate
and amuse anyone interested in making money out of investment in much
the same way, hence the name. It is packed with ideas, tips, anecdotes,
news, faqs, how-tos, and a whole range of resources to delve into. Being
so widely appealing you may have to dig around to find what you are looking
for, but it would be worth bookmarking and checking in at regular intervals,
to keep abreast of all things financial.
Verdict: Good tools for nobody's fools. - SS
NetWorth: ****
Australian Stock Exchange
http://www.asx.com.au/
Someone has made a wise business decision and ordered that the ASX get
themselves a killer web site. This is the hub, the epicentre of the beast
that is stocks and shares. There is no shortage whatsoever of information
here. From a detailed history to investment courses, market surveillance
to enterprise market and how-to-buy-shares information, no stone is left
unturned in the ASX quest to inform and enrich us about the power, the
glory, the wealth, the toil on golden soil, that is corporate Australia.
Verdict: Bookmark it. No, better still, whack it on your active desktop!
- SS
NetWorth: *****
Business Times Stocks On Line
http://www.asia1.com.sg/btstocks/welcome.html
All the latest on the Asian market figures and movements are presented
here in a constantly updating page (if you hit the 'refresh' button).
Previous days closing reports and prices and market views plus the ability
to track your own stock prices are here, along with some very good advice,
reports and reviews. You never have to wait until the end of the commercial
TV news for those HangSeng and Nikkei figures ever again.
Verdict: Up to the minute data. - SS
NetWorth: ****
The Digital Financier - Financial Information On The Internet
http://www.dfin.com/
An award winning one-stop money shop for the financial world. It starts
with a daily update of financial markets and moves through a range of
resource material for the financial industry. It is this site's ambition
to be the most visited site by financiers, and to do so they have provided
links galore, career opportunities, job listings, a list of up-coming
meetings and conventions and a book store with all the important knowledge
fountains for this ever changing and challenging industry. The web is
going to transform the financial world probably more than any other aspect
of humanity, and this site is trying real hard to keep up.
Verdict: Helping you smooth the transition to the new world order. - SS
NetWorth: ***
Moody's Investors Service
http://www.moodys.com/
We all know the famous Moody, the man who, from 1900, set the standard
for rating company risk level for investors, governments and industry
players. The web site is presented in a very simple text format, presumably
so you can surf it from your mobile phone or handheld personal digital
assistant. They are the world authority and definitely a good place to
visit to ascertain your position with regard to investment decisions.
Everything is rated and much information is given about the whole rating
process and how to use the ratings. There are even a few jobs going here.
Verdict: How do I know? Ask Moodys.
NetWorth: ****
Moodys FISonline
http://www.fisonline.com/
Moodys get down to nuts and bolts here on their official web site where
the main business is conducted. A quick guided tour as a guest will get
you itching to sign up, as you realise the power of the information Moodys
can give you access to. You'll get fully searchable data on more than
10,000 NYSE, AMEX and Nasdaq exchange companies, including all SEC filings.
This is the full Monty, the whole enchilada, no sandwiches short of a
picnic. With their knowledge, they can offer the best advice and services
around. The site is quite attractive, too.
Verdict: Bookmarkabilty factor of at least 10.
NetWorth: *****
INVESTools - Trusted Investment Advice
http://www.investools.com/
What can my money do? How much profit can I make by sitting on my butt?
Is there such thing as a guaranteed 300% return on investment? Can my
money really make a difference to society? Investools is here to answer
any question you may pose with advisors, detailed research, a newsletter,
and speculation aplenty on the potential earning capacity of your hard-earned
cash. The site is well maintained and easy to navigate, as you select
menu after menu of quotes, discussions and news about the financial world.
With over 175,000 registered users, there's gotta be something going on
here. Perhaps it's time you signed up.
Verdict: I don't know what ools are, but I'll certainly invest in them.
- SS
NetWorth: ****
The Interactive Business Channel
http://www.ibchannel.com/
IBC gets real on the net here with actual business opportunities and investment
offers right on the Website. The main page contains every imaginable resource.
A ticker tape scrolls across the page while links, tools, offers, charts
and reports urge you to delve into IBC's world. They are very much into
the notion of buying and selling shares over the net, and as such have
put together quite an impressive body of work to support the activity.
Certainly the Internet is an inexpensive way to publicise a company and
try to raise capital to get things underway. See how it's done right here.
Verdict: This site will interact with your wallet.
NetWorth: *****
Cyberinvest.com - Free Investment Guides
http://www.cyberinvest.com/
Dedicated to providing the most comprehensive set of investment advice
and resources for on-line investment, Cyberinvest manage to achieve quite
a notable level of success. Through the Internet, access is given to information
about companies that are otherwise ignored by the mainstream investment
advisers and brokers. Advice is given here about anything related to finance
and the Web. Banking on-line, hot web companies, how to invest on the
web, prospecting, portfolios, mutual funds, it just doesn't stop. The
site is big enough on it's own, but freely links you to all kinds of other
web-based advisory services. This kind of free information you just cannot
refuse.
Verdict: The big Daddy of investment guides.
NetWorth: ****
Discover Brokerage
http://www.discoverbrokerage.com/
Voted best on-line brokers three years running, Discover are doing something
right here. By providing the best up-to-date information and facilitating
a full service to the private independent investor, they make on-line
investing as easy as possible. Take a run through the trading demo, to
see how good the service really is. There are a lot of benefits to investing
directly over the Net, and by using someone experienced in the field,
the risks are minimised.
Verdict: Your own personal cyber-croupier.
NetWorth: ****
Australian Ethical Investment
http://www.austethical.com.au/index.htm
The real bottom line of any business should be more than just the dollar
return. Business is about doing things, and some of these things, a lot
of them actually, are ripping the planet apart and threatening our very
existence. One of the biggest ways to counteract this pitiful trend is
to pour as much of our investment dollars into helping businesses that
either tread lightly on the earth or contribute to reversing some of the
damage already done. This is the place to start. An A-Z listing of ethically
sound operations presented clearly with how-to and faq's. It's Australian
too.
Verdict: The choice is simple. Start and finish here.
NetWorth: *****
Learning For a Better World - What has "Ethical Investment" to do with
Ethics
http://www.betterworld.com/BWZ/9604/learn.htm
Even though this site is two years old, the primer on ethical investment
is still holding up. Better World is a magazine dedicated to sustainability
and improving the planet. They present a very readable yet complete coverage
of the whole ethical investment issue. There are always grey areas when
you are dealing with production, and BW do a good job of sorting out the
moral implications of investment, and giving the reader a good understanding
about what kind of unethical activities are going on around the globe.
Verdict: Required reading.
NetWorth: *****
Multinational Monitor
http://www.essential.org/monitor/
This hard-hitting e-zine goes straight for the jugular of the multinational
corporations that are getting away with murder, and a lot of other nasty
crimes. Reporters who really know their stuff are investigating the activities
by companies - and indirectly by the people who invested in them - that
are just not acceptable by anyone who would consider themselves "good"
citizens. It's not just expose stuff, a lot of analysis is done on the
global situation, which, when you are sitting there with your hard-earned
dollars waiting to invest in something, you may suddenly realise that
you can do something about. When you're done here, go and look at the
rest of the essential.ORG site.
Verdict: Packs a punch. Keeping the multinational monsters on their toes.
NetWorth: ****
International Trade Law
http://ananse.irv.uit.no/trade_law/nav/trade.html
Maybe you don't want to go through a broker. Maybe you want to just hop
on a plane and take your money to some country and shop it around and
get some venture up and running with someone who can't speak a word of
English. The laws and regulations involved in such activities are all
spelt out here. UN transnational contract principles, arbitration, conventions,
treaties, customs, protection of intellectual property, the site covers
everything. There is also a whole swag of links and related resources
if you want more clarification on specific matters.
Verdict: No globe unturned.
NetWorth: *****
Green Money On Line Guide
http://www.greenmoney.com/
The financial world spits out its daily facts and figures. Those in the
know get rich quickly and constantly. Small investors sit back in relative
ignorance and watch their share prices fluctuate here and there. It's
good to know that while all this is going on, some people are creating
alternatives. Become a part of a growing network of citizens who are turning
the tide of profiteering that until now has axiomatically created big
losers somewhere on the planet. There is a web guide, product guide, and
information about socially responsible banks and credit unions. You can
get directly involved.
Verdict: Go green, it's the only way.
NetWorth: ***
EduStock
http://portia.advanced.org/3088/
A complete tutorial about the stock market. It is designed for anyone
with little or no knowledge to begin to get a grip on the fascinating
world of finance. By looking at well known companies like Coca Cola, Nike
and Netscape, and then studying the nature and operation of the stock
market, you will quickly get a good overview of what transpires every
moment around the world. The layout is simple and visually appealing,
and after you have completed the tutorial, you can try your hand at a
20 minute simulation.
Verdict: Elegantly educational.
NetWorth: ****
The Wall Street Coffee Company
http://www.wallstreetcoffee.com/
In 1792, a group of merchants and brokers got together in a coffee shop
and started the New York Stock Exchange. Since then Wall Street has probably
been the capital of coffee addiction ever since. In a light-hearted marriage
of coffee and money, the WSCC offers a selection of coffees like "broker's
roast" and some very valuable advice and information for investors as
well. Their mission is to be America's centre for personal success, and
I think they might just have hit on the right blend.
Verdict: Surf this before, during and after your coffee break.
NetWorth: *****
The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition
http://www.wsj.com/
This publication needs no introduction, and for a mere $49.00 a year,
you can now access the extra power the Internet can afford this major
player in the financial world's information network. Real time quotes,
with a big focus on the technology industry, news updates 24 hours a day,
customisable information delivery. The slick and informed crew at WSJ
are ready to make your financial outlook a whole lot rosier, as you continue
to fund their drive to stay ahead of the rapidly encroaching Internet
pack.
Verdict: To pay or not to pay, that is the question. - SS
NetWorth: ****
Douglas Gerlach's Invest-o-rama
http://www.investorama.com/
Just as we come to the end of this chapter, the blockbuster site from
heaven is here to fill in all the blanks and then some. A one-man effort
of titanic proportions, boasting over 8,000 links sorted into 89 categories,
free tools like a portfolio tracker, stock screening, advanced charting
plus market commentary, bookshop, even a competition. The links, by the
way are all clearly described, unlike most peoples' links pages. Doug
has put it all together here for you, and in gratitude, it wouldn't be
too much to ask to buy his book now, would it?
Verdict: You don't have to pay, so there is no question. Bookmark this
now. - SS
NetWorth: *****
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