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Google to Offer Real-Time Stock Quotes

Posted by kdawson on

Apro+im writes "Today, Google announced that Google Finance will report real-time prices on NASDAQ-listed securities. While real-time stock quotes are not new, they have long encumbered with subscriptions, legal agreements, or pay software. This may be the first free source for real-time quotes."

16 of 299 comments (clear)

  1. Simpsons already did it. by X43B · · Score: 5, Informative

    Yahoo! does this already.

    1. Re:Simpsons already did it. by lilfields · · Score: 5, Informative

      I don't know why this is flamebait, Yahoo did actually start doing this about a month ago, but got no Slashdot coverage. I'm glad to see it done, 15 minutes/20 minutes were the actual delay times, and were kind of annoying...not 3 hours as some people have already stated. Anyhow, most brokers give you real-time quotes for free, such as Scottrade...others are a bit more stingy about it...such as ING. Hopefully this will force brokerage firms to lighten up on their lower tier subscription fees.

    2. Re:Simpsons already did it. by UncleTogie · · Score: 5, Informative

      Yahoo! does this already.

      Are you sure? Read the fine print at the bottom of the Yahoo finance page next time:

      Quotes are updated automatically, but will be turned off after 25 minutes of inactivity. Quote data delayed 15 minutes for Nasdaq, 20 minutes for NYSE and Amex. Real-Time continuous streaming quotes are available through our premium service.
      --
      Don't tell me to get a life. I'm a gamer; I have LOTS of lives!
    3. Re:Simpsons already did it. by Wister285 · · Score: 5, Informative

      Assuming Google quotes NASDAQ directly, the difference is that Yahoo! quotes ECNs instead as the managing editor over at CNBC explains:

      http://www.cnbc.com/id/24927068/site/14081545/

      This has a wide range of implications, mainly how exchanges charge for their data. This will probably help NASDAQ to continue to put more pressure on the NYSE. It may be a good step though as I'd like to see the futures exchanges allow for their data services to be more freely available.

      It also helps to empower the individual investor as the gap between the institutions and in the individuals closes. This can have unintended consequences though in terms of volatility as the retail money may get more fidgety with this more timely data. Either way, it should be interesting to watch this develop.

    4. Re:Simpsons already did it. by DriedClexler · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I'm more interested in being able to search the 20+ year history of a stock, mutual fund, index (with dividend reinvestment), or futures contract. They only seem to let you go back 10 years, or not see the result of dividend reinvestment. Even google finance only lets you go back a few years in many cases.

      Interestingly enough, people on investing forums casually reference these values as if they're easy to get, but I've never seen a free source for that information.

      --
      Information theory is life. The rest is just the KL divergence.
  2. I got 'em in E*Trade readily enough. by FooAtWFU · · Score: 5, Informative

    I got free real-time quotes with my E*Trade account readily enough. You do need to open an account and log in each time, and you do need to accept a legal agreement, but I don't think you need to actually pay for them.

    The legal agreement was mostly "you can't sue us, or NASDAQ, or the NYSE or anybody, for giving you these quotes... and you can't, like, republish these to other people". It didn't seem excessive.

    I guess Google will be more convenient than these, but it's not a huge deal. Besides, if you actually care about a 15-minute delay, you'll have your brokerage account open anyway.

    --
    The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
  3. Re:Real time or delayed? by bucky0 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Looking back on the google finance blog, they apparently went to the SEC and asked to get a feed straight from the source. I think it's gonna be as real time as possible

    --

    -Bucky
  4. Re:Real time or delayed? by Clover_Kicker · · Score: 5, Funny

    If only the article contained this information...

  5. Who needs real time stock quotes? by ForestGrump · · Score: 5, Funny

    First it was "15 minutes delayed" stock quotes being all the rage.

    Now people are getting excited over "real time"? bah!

    Give me "In 10 Minutes" stock quotes and I'll pay for that!

    --
    Is it true that more people vote for the winner of American Idol, than vote for the president? -Ali G.
    1. Re:Who needs real time stock quotes? by grub · · Score: 5, Funny


      Give me "In 10 Minutes" stock quotes and I'll pay for that!

      I just bought several hundred thousand shares of some stocks that are supposed to go through the roof next week. Many emails from good friends who's names I don't recognize recommended them!

      --
      Trolling is a art,
  6. This is a NASDAQ story, not a Google story by nodwick · · Score: 5, Informative

    While I know Google makes for good news, this story is in fact more about the exchanges loosening their grip on quote restrictions than it is a feel-good Google story.

    Historically the exchanges have required anyone offering free quotes to delay them 15-20 minutes since a big part of their revenue stream derived from charging brokerages for real-time quotes. (Brokerages in turn only offered this service to their customers.) NASDAQ announced a deal to allow Google, the Wall Street Journal, and CNBC to show real-time quotes for free. Yahoo Finance announced a similar deal with a different group (BATS Trading) to phase free real-time quotes throughout its site also.

    Looks like the internet continues to bring down barriers to information.

  7. Welp by Ritontor · · Score: 5, Funny

    I feel a great disturbance on the Internet. As if millions of tenuous business models suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced.

    --
    Perhaps the answer to the problem of teenagers dropping bricks from motorway and railway bridges is to sue Tetris.
  8. Re:This is a big deal... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "tons" of subscription services will not lose most of their user base overnight as "tons" of subscription services offer more services than just "real-time quotes." Including research/reports, customer service, stock trading, etc... This is a non-issue.

  9. Re:How will Google make money? by chromatic · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'd like to know how Google will make its money on this particular service. How?

    How does Google make money at anything? They'll sell your eyeballs to advertisers.

    --
    how to invest, a novice's guide
  10. Prediction systems by Animats · · Score: 5, Interesting

    While the formula may be hugely complex, if such a formula exists, it's kinda self destroying, because the stock market exists in a way because there is no formula.

    That's the only part of the above posting that's true. There have been successful technical analysis systems over the years. The trouble is that once someone finds a working strategy for beating the market and uses it on a large scale, others notice and replicate it, and it becomes the market. There's also a failure mode where structured investment vehicles are constructed in such a way that they have a high probability of a continual small gain coupled with a small probability of a big loss, for a negative expectation overall. (See "Long Term Capital Management".)

    So much programmed trading activity is going on that it's most of the market now. That's why the number of transactions has become so high.

  11. Maybe to some, not to me. by Gordo_1 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The vast majority of investors should ignore the minute by minute blows of the market. At this time scale the market is literally a big roulette wheel. Virtually all day traders and every amateur who thinks they can reliably extract disproportionate gains out of the market long-term (i.e. more than they would by say, holding an appropriate mix of diversified indexes) are fooling themselves into making predictions on what essentially amounts to sheer randomness. Think I'm crazy? Do yourself a favor and read A Random Walk Down Wall Street and save yourself the decade it took me to figure out how the market works. You're welcome.