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Track a stock

Guides by goal 5 min read Beginner Updated

Finance is not part of 4Programming. It runs on 4search.com and 4conservative.com. You can read this guide here, and use Finance on 4search.com.
On this page
  1. Find the stock
  2. Read its page
  3. Find the news behind a move
  4. See what traders expect
  5. Keep it on your watchlist
  6. Common questions

This guide follows one company through Finance: you find it, read its page, look for the news behind a move, see what traders on prediction markets expect, and add it to your watchlist so it is waiting for you next time.

#Find the stock

  1. Select Finance in the row of tabs at the top of the page.

  2. Type the company's name or its ticker in the search box, for example appl. Suggestions appear as you type.

    The Finance search box with the letters appl typed in and a list of matching instruments below it, each with its ticker, name and type

    Each suggestion shows the ticker, the name, the kind of instrument and its exchange.

    1. 1Type a ticker, a name or a topic
    2. 2Choose a match to open its page
    3. 3Or press Enter to search financial news

  3. Pick a suggestion, or press Enter. A name such as apple or a ticker such as NVDA opens the company's page straight away.

See Search Finance for the other ways to write a name.

#Read its page

The top of the page gives the price, today's change and a time line. At close means the market has closed; As of means it is still trading. The price refreshes while the page is open, and it may still be up to 15 minutes behind the market (How fresh the data is).

The top of Apple's quote page: the company name and ticker, the Follow, Compare and Share buttons, the price and today's change, the time line with its delay notice, the after-hours price and the row of tabs

The name, the Follow, Compare and Share buttons, the price with its time line, and the tabs.

  1. 1Name, ticker, exchange and sector
  2. 2Follow, Compare and Share
  3. 3The latest price and today's change
  4. 4When the price is from, and the delay notice
  5. 5After-hours price
  6. 6The tabs of a stock's page

Below the top, the Overview tab holds the price chart, the key statistics and the stock beside its closest peers. A stock's page explains each part, and Key statistics, explained explains the numbers.

#Find the news behind a move

  1. Scroll to Latest news. Each headline shows its outlet and age, and a Positive or Negative label where the tone is clear. Select a headline to read it on the outlet's site.

  2. Look at In the news beside it: how many articles mentioned the company in the last 30 days, the tone of the coverage, and a chart of articles per day.

    The In the news card on a stock's page: the number of articles that mention the company in 30 days and with it in the headline, an overall sentiment word and a bar of positive, neutral and negative articles, a chart of articles per day, and lists of companies, people, themes and outlets in the coverage

    A tall bar on the day of a big move says the move came with a lot of coverage.

    1. 1How much coverage there is, and its sentiment
    2. 2Positive, neutral and negative articles
    3. 3Articles per day
    4. 4Names that appear in the same articles
    5. 5The outlets that wrote most

  3. To line the coverage up with the price, open Indicators on the chart and tick News volume (4Search).

  4. For more, open the News tab for 30 days of headlines, or select Full coverage on a story in a News search to see how other outlets reported it.

Sentiment describes the tone of what has been written, not what the stock will do. See News, coverage and sentiment and Check how a story is covered.

#See what traders expect

When prediction markets ask questions about the stock, its page has a Prediction markets card in the side column, and a Predictions tab once three or more markets are about it. In tables, a small Odds label beside a name means the same.

The Prediction markets card on a stock's page: the first market asks where the stock will close on a date and shows a median price with its likely range; the second shows the chance of the stock reaching or falling to several prices

One market gives a median closing price; the other gives the chance of reaching each price.

  1. 1The headline number: a median price, or a chance
  2. 2Which venue the odds come from
  3. 3The chance of reaching each level
  4. 4All the markets about this stock

A card can give a median (the price traders see an even chance of being above or below) or the chance that the price Reaches or Falls to a level during the period. The venue, the closing time and how much was traded are under each card. Read Prediction-market odds, and for what odds can and cannot tell you, Read prediction markets.

#Keep it on your watchlist

  1. Select Follow at the top of the stock's page. The button changes to Following and a message says Added to your watchlist.
  2. The first time, a box explains that the list is kept in your browser. Select Enable cookies and follow to turn on Saved preferences and follow the stock, or Not now to save nothing.
  3. Open Watchlist in the Finance section bar to see everything you follow, with today's price, change and a small chart.
    The Watchlist page with five followed instruments: a box for adding a symbol or company, a table with a price, change, volume and range bars for each, a button to remove each one, and a Popular to follow list on the right

    Newer additions come first, and any column heading sorts the list.

    1. 1Add a symbol or a company name
    2. 2Sort by any heading
    3. 3Select a name to open its page
    4. 4A filled star: already followed

You can follow up to 50 stocks, funds, indexes, currencies and coins. To see a few side by side, select Compare on a stock's page; see Compare stocks. More in Follow stocks and build a watchlist.

#Common questions

Will Finance tell me when my stock moves?

No. Finance does not send alerts or emails. Open your watchlist, or the Your watchlist card on the Finance overview, to see the latest prices.

Why is the price different from my broker's?

Finance may be up to 15 minutes behind, and brokers show the live price. Check the time line under the price.

Will my watchlist be on my phone too?

No. It is kept in the browser where you made it. Follow the same stocks again on your phone.

Read next

Finance A stock's page, from price to news Every stock, fund, index, currency and coin has its own page with the price, a chart, key statistics, analyst views, results and the latest news about it. Finance News, coverage and sentiment on a stock's page See the headlines about a company, how many articles mention it, who and what appears alongside it, and whether the coverage leans positive or negative. Finance Prediction-market odds beside prices and in the Predictions section See what traders on prediction markets expect for the Fed, inflation, stocks and crypto, beside the instruments they are about and on their own pages. Finance Follow stocks and build a watchlist Follow any stock, fund, index, currency or coin to keep it on your watchlist, a page of what you care about with latest prices, kept in your browser. Finance How fresh the data is, delays, market hours and live updates Finance prices may be delayed up to 15 minutes. Learn what the notice means, the market sessions, how prices update on screen and how fresh other figures are.