BUSINESS INFORMATION CENTER
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FINANCIAL MARKETS RESEARCH GUIDE
This research guide identifies resources for locating information on the stock, bond, commodities and foreign exchange markets. This guide also highlights a few of the many financial news Web sites available on the Internet. For information on researching a particular industry or company use those research guides. For additional information, Ask a BIC librarian.
GENERAL INFORMATION
CFA Institute The Institute which administers the Chartered Financial Analyst program has several useful links for investors. Use the navigation on the left side of the page and click on the link for 'Individual Investors'.
CNNMoney.com: Money 101 Find various "lessons" on financial topics. Lessons 4-7 cover basics of investing, and investing in stocks, mutual funds, and bonds.
InvestorGuide University View information about investing basics and overviews of stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Other content areas on the InvestorGuide main site include research, markets, news & commentary. Follow the glossary link to access the InvestorWords online dictonary. Part of the WebFinance, Inc. group of Web sites.
InvestorWords Online financial dictionary. Search a word by typing it in the 'Search for a term' box near the top of the page. Can also browse related terms.
Morningstar Content areas include Stocks, Funds, ETFs, Markets, etc. Under the 'Learn' tab find out how to enroll in "Morningstar.com's Investing Classroom". Some content freely available, more with free registration, and premium products require paid registration. Part of the Morningstar, Inc. suite of products.
OSU Virtual Finance Library Published by Ohio State's Department of Finance. Content is freely available.
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NEWS
CNET News for Investors View content areas like regional stocks, investment glossary, and streaming real-time quotes. Part of the CNET network.
Investor's Business Daily (via the Lexis Nexis Academic database, SMU Community Only) Business oriented daily newspaper. Print version is available at a kiosk on the first floor of the Fincher building.
View PONI Record
MarketWatch Business and financial news, including a Newsletters & Research section. Most content areas are available free of charge. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Reuters.com News and Investment research Web site. Major categories organized under business, investing, and news. Most content areas are freely available, but some require free registration. Site features a different analyst report available for free each day. To access from the home page, click on the 'Investing' link from the left side menu, then select 'Analyst Research', then select 'Free Reports' to view the day's selection.
Wall Street Journal (via the ABI/Inform database, SMU Community Only) Find top news stories, market forecasts, detailed information on the previous day's market activity, market diaries covering the past day, week, and year of the world's stock, bond, and currency markets, as well as a wide variety of regular columns. Also look for the 'Weather Watch' feature which "show(s) how weather affects business, commodities and weekend activities around the world."
The daily print editions are available in the Business Information Center along with The Wall Street Journal Student Guide, which explains the various content areas of the WSJ. Access the electronic version by navigating to the BIC's Business Databases page, selecting "ABI/INFORM Complete", selecting the "Publication Search" tab near the top of the page, typing Wall Street Journal as the publication name, and clicking search.
Yahoo Finance General finance resource. Use the navigation towards the lower left side of the page to access information on investing and personal finance topics.
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TOOLS & RESEARCH
Big Charts Investment research Web site. Click on the Industry tab to see the top ten best and worst performing Dow Jones Indices for various periods of time, the Historical Prices tab to access limited historical pricing information, and the Big Reports tab to see lists of various types of stock activity. Most content areas are available at no cost. Service is provided by MarketWatch, a Dow Jones Product, and several content areas link out to the MarketWatch site.
Bloomberg Find a wide variety of information on various content areas including worldwide securities, corporate debt (bonds), mortgage-backed securities, preferreds, equities, commodities, futures, options and spot rates, world financial markets and economic indices and currencies. An overview workshop is suggested before undertaking major use of the terminal. A stand alone terminal is available in the Business Information Center to current SMU students, staff, and faculty. (Restricted Resource - A valid SMU ID is required for access)
Datastream Content areas include equities and fundamentals, unit and investment trusts, indices, bonds, international macroeconomics, commodities, interest and exchange rates, futures and options. Historical in nature. A stand alone workstation is available in the Business Information Center to current SMU students, staff and faculty members. (Restricted Resource - A valid SMU ID is required for access)
Market Data Center This Wall Street Journal site contains many of the daily stock tables that previously were published in the print newspaper.
Morningstar Click the 'Tools' tab to find various investing tools and calculators. Some tools are freely available but others are by subscription only.
Reuters.com Under the 'Investing' section, click on 'Ideas and Screening'. Most content areas are freely available, but some require free registration.
WRDS Contains "...comprehensive sources of financial, accounting, economic, management, marketing, banking, and insurance data." Current SMU students, staff and faculty may access COMPUSTAT North America, CRSP, I/B/E/S, IRRC, and NYSE TAQ as well as a variety of other datasets. (Restricted Resource - BIC IP addresses only.)
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STOCK MARKETS
American Stock Exchange Web site walks users through a wide variety of AMEX offered products using simple explanations. Use menu on the left side of the page to navigate the site.
Equity Trader This service provided by Bollinger Capital Management, Inc. can be used to quickly evaluate "...past performance and potential appreciation of equities." Most information is freely available, but registration is required. The FAQ page for this and related Bollinger Capital Management sites may be useful for further explanation of terms.
NASDAQ "...the largest U.S. electronic stock market. With approximately 3,300 companies, it lists more companies and, on average, trades more shares per day than any other U.S. market."
New York Stock Exchange Group Under the 'About the NYSE' link on the left side of the page, click on Education to see resources for learning more about the New York Stock Exchange.
Philadelphia Stock Exchange The first securities exchange in the US. Users can "...trade a full spectrum of products including equities, equity options, index options, currency options and futures."
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BOND & DEBT MARKETS
The Bond Market Association Trade association representing bond markets. This Web site includes information on corporate, government/agency, municipal, MBS/ABS/CDO, and funding markets. Regional content areas include Europe and the United States. Select 'Research' from the tool bar at the top of the screen to access a wide variety of research and statistical information.
Bureau of Public Debt Learn about U.S. treasury bonds, bills, notes, and TIPS. Government agency in the Department of Treasury.
Mergent Annual Bond Record (Fondren Library Center Reference HG4661 .M66) Coverage of corporate, government, municipal, etc., bonds.
View PONI Record
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COMMODITIES, FUTURES & OPTIONS MARKETS
Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) "Established in 1848, [The Chicago Board of Trade] is a leading futures and options on futures exchange."
Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) US Options Exchange
Chicago Mercantile Exchange " ... the largest futures exchange in the United States and [CME] also owns and operates the largest futures Clearing House in the world."
Commodity Futures Trading Commission Find an excellent glossary covering the futures industry under the 'Glossary' tab as well as information discussing consumer awareness and protection. The CFTC is a U.S. Government agency.
INO Web site specializing in futures and options markets.
The Options Industry Council "...was created to educate investors and their financial advisors about the benefits and risks of exchange-traded equity options."
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INTERNATIONAL MARKETS
List of Stock Exchanges Wikipedia includes a list of links to stock exchanges worldwide.
Yahoo View a list of exchanges available through Yahoo Finance. Sort either alphabetically or by popularity.
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PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
The associations and organizations relating to financial markets function in both an educational and regulatory manner. Access association Web pages to locate educational materials about their industries, briefings about legal and regulatory issues, and information about contacting and/or reporting fraud to governing bodies. This information is often freely available on the association's Web site.
Associations Unlimited Search for information by association name, location, or keywords. Find contact information and web addresses for 106,000 regional, 22,000 national, and 23,000 international organizations. (SMU Community Only)
The Bond Market Association Trade association representing bond markets.
Business & Company Resource Center Search by either company or industry and then click on the Associations tab to see association information, which is drawn from Associations Unlimited. (SMU Community Only)
CFA Institute The Institute which administers the Chartered Financial Analyst program.
NASD Securities industry association.
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Updated: May 2007
