10 iGoogle gadgets for tracking financial data
If you're looking to get more out of iGoogle, there are some neat finance gadgets that will help you do just that.
The economy is in a major state of flux right now. Although unemployment is still on the rise, the stock market is on the rise too as of late.
If you're one of those people trying to make sense of the markets, you might be happy to know that instead of jumping from site to site to get all your financial information, you can simply add some gadgets to your iGoogle home page. From currencies to commodities, iGoogle gadgets will satisfy any desire.
10 finance gadgets
Commodities Market If you're looking to find a way to easily track the price of oil and natural gas, the Commodities Market gadget is for you. The gadget displays the major commodity indexes, including crude oil, natural gas, and even coffee. You'll see the price fluctuate as market factors change throughout the day. It's a great way to stay up on the commodity market.
Company Overview After you install Company Overview, you can input any company's ticker symbol and see an overview of its operation. You can also get company news, see key financial ratios, check out its financial performance, and even see who the company's key managers are. If you want to listen in on quarterly earnings calls, you can find all the information you need to join those calls in this gadget. Check it out.
Currency Converter Currency Converter does what you would expect: it converts currency based on up-to-date exchange rates. So, if you want to know how many euros are in a single dollar, you can do it. If you want to convert your dollars to yuan, you can do that too. It's a simple gadget, but it comes in handy.
Dow Jones Chart Dow Jones Chart is the most accurate Dow Jones gadget in this roundup. Although some other gadgets list the Dow Jones' level at any given time, the Dow Jones Chart is accurate to the minute. In other words, it provides the closest tally of what the market's price is at any moment. It's extremely useful for investors. Slight fluctuations in the market will be seen with this gadget. It's worth checking out.
Google Finance Portfolios Google Finance Portfolios gadget tells you how well your stocks are doing right on your iGoogle page.
After Google Finance Portfolios is added to your iGoogle page, it displays your portfolio, including the net change for the day. It also features overall market performance. Any of those items can be hidden in the gadget. If you want more detail on a particular stock you own, you can click on it to be brought to its respective Google Finance page.
Latest Bulls Latest Bulls features the world's indexes to see how different markets around the world are performing. It lists the S&P 500, the FTSE 100, and Shanghai Exchange, among other markets. In the gadget, it only lists whether a respective item is up or down. When you click on one of those items, you'll be brought to a page from Marcoaxis, giving you more detailed information on the market. Any advanced investor who dabbles in overseas markets should find this gadget quite useful.
Live Gold The Live Gold gadget provides real-time information on gold's price at any moment. The gadget also features news about the gold market and a listing of other metals, including silver and platinum, if you want to check their price, as well.
Sector Summary Sector Summary is a simple gadget that sits in your iGoogle home page. It also displays how each sector of the economy, including technology stocks and industrial companies, performed the last time the market was open. It displays the sector and how much it was up or down on the day. If you want to dig a little deeper, you can click on any sector. You'll be brought to Google Finance where you'll find more information. It's a great gadget for anyone trying to diversify.
Stock Charts Stock Charts is an extremely handy gadget to have on your iGoogle page. Simply input a stock's ticker symbol and the gadget will display how the stock's share price has fluctuated over one month, three months, six months, or a year. Stock Charts won't be enough to help you make a decision on a stock purchase, but thanks to its usability, it will come in handy when you're making that decision.
Virtual Balance Tracker Virtual Balance Tracker allows you to input bills, stock accounts, checking accounts, and other financial balances to track it as the month goes on. You can set up recurring debits or credits or manually adjust it as the real balance changes. It's not the easiest gadget to use, but it might come in handy for those who want to know where their money is without going to individual bank sites.
My top 3
1. Company Overview: With so much great information, Company Overview is a great gadget.
2. Commodities Market: Who doesn't want to know what the price of oil is today?
3. Google Finance Portfolios: Google Finance Portfolios provides easy access to your stocks.