Getting Quotes

The easiest way to get quotes is by typing them in the Search box at the top of the Google Finance page. You can type a stock symbol, the name of an index, or the name of a company. This Search box is quite different than the Google Web search box. As you type in the Google Finance Search box, a drop-down list appears with suggestions of what you might be looking for (see Figure 16.4). This helps for a number of different reasons: You might need information quickly and this speeds you along your way. Or if you don’t know that the Nasdaq 100 Trust Shares has changed from a symbol of QQQ to QQQQ, this feature helps by showing you possible companies and their stock symbols as you type.

Figure 16.4: A drop--down list appears as you type in the Google Finance search box.

Note 

Stock symbols, although displayed in uppercase, are not case sensitive when you type them.

When you press Enter or click Search, the detailed page for that company appears (see “Trading Details” later in this chapter). An important thing to know is that in many cases, and depending on the stock exchange, the quote you see displayed is delayed by a specific time delay. Table 16.1 lists the various preprogrammed delays you can expect for the various exchanges and indices. Most of the indices display quotes in real time. The stock exchanges delay their quotes by 15 or 20 minutes.

Table 16.1: Exchange Display Delays
Open table as spreadsheet

Exchange	Delay
American Stock Exchange	20 minutes
Canadian Venture Exchange	15 minutes
Dow Jones Index	Real time
Euronext	15 minutes
Nasdaq Indices	Real time
Nasdaq Stock Exchange	15 minutes
New York Stock Exchange	20 minutes
New York Stock Exchange Indices	Real time
Standard & Poor’s Indices	Real time
Toronto Stock Exchange	15 minutes

Searching Google.com

When you do a normal Google Web search and Google recognizes an exchange ticker symbol, you automatically receive Google Finance information about the stock for that symbol. Google displays the intraday chart, the stock’s high and low prices, and stock quotes from an ECN (Electronic Communication Network).

Clicking on the chart displayed in your search results causes your browser to navigate to a Google Finance page with more information about the stock in which you are interested. You also see a Google Finance link in the results. Clicking that link also takes you to Google Finance.

When you type a stock ticker symbol and you don’t see a chart, and you’ve been able to see other charts (meaning your software is correctly configured) it usually means that the company is not trading with enough volume to generate a chart. If you’ve searched on a company that is no longer trading on the stock exchange, perhaps because it has gone private, it no longer displays a chart.

You can get stock quotes on your mobile device, whether it’s your mobile phone, or handheld computer, through SMS. Currently, Google Finance does not offer company information through mobile services.

Cross-Ref 

See Chapter 28 for more information about getting quotes on your mobile device.