Following in its own footsteps, Google backs up real-time quotes with real-time news
Since
implementing real-time streaming quotes into
Google Finance last year,
Google says it has avoided upwards of 20 minutes of delays in reporting
crucial business finance data to its users.
In an effort to
garner a larger audience by rounding out the services and information
offered by Google Finance, Google
announced Friday morning that its
market watching page will now pull in streaming financial news to
display alongside quotes. The real-time stream will only update from
8am-5:30pm ET (Google chose this time block because it starts and ends
90 minutes before and after U.S. trading hours, respectively).
From the announcement:
"Financial information doesn't exist in a vacuum. News can stimulate
trades, and trades of one stock can have broad market effects. Figuring
how to organize all of that information and make it useful is crucial —
and that's what we're working on."
Besides introducing real-time news, Google has boosted Google Finance in a few different ways over the past few months.
Company
pages, for example, automatically update stock prices, index and sector
comparisons in real-time (during market hours). These pages also
feature interactive charts (updated in real-time, of course) that allow
users to take a closer look at all the financial data available to them.
Browsing
throughout the site's many pages, users will always have close access
to their most recently observed quotes, which Google presents in the
left sidebar. Google also allows users to compare companies along a
spectrum of parameters.
All in all, Google Finance appears to be a well-developed Web service for delivering comprehensive market news and numbers.
Steven Loeb
