How to read the financial pages

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6. Share prices on the internet and television

1. Internet

   Many websites list the share prices of listed UK companies which they get via a feed from the London Stock Exchange. They cover main list and AIM stocks, but not OFEX.

   • In most cases the prices are not live, but 20-minute delayed. So if you ring your broker to place an order, you may find that the price quoted is different from the price on your screen.
   • As well as share prices, websites offer other key data: market cap, price highs and lows, earnings per share, P/E ratio, and so on. These figures are recalculated in real time so they are up to date.
   • Plus - you usually get a chart showing share price movements over time.
2. Television
   • CEEFAX on BBC1 offers share prices on 2,000 stocks, updated three times a day on a 20 minute delayed basis. FTSE 100 companies are continually updated on a 15-minute delayed basis.
   • Teletext on Channel 4 features 400 share prices updated every 20 minutes, 3,000 share prices updated 4 times a day, and FTSE 100 prices updated every 20 minutes. All prices are 20-minute delayed.
   • Business Breakfast (BBC1 - 6am weekdays) and Working Lunch (BBC2 12.30pm weekdays) provide business news and analysis, with market commentary. The Money Programme (BBC2 Sunday evenings) tends to concentrate on businesses rather than markets but can be interesting.
   • Sky has The Money Channel which delivers a rolling programme of interviews with market practitioners, investors and company directors throughout the day.

1. What are the financial pages? 2. What to look for 3. Business news 4. Share prices in newspapers 5. Investment trust prices 6. Share prices on the internet and television 7. Commentary on share price movements 8. Anticipating company results 9. Finding company results 10. Interpreting company results 11. Takeovers and mergers 12. Indices 13. Sectors 14. Directors dealings 15. Unit trust information 16. Government bonds 17. Corporate bonds 18. Economic data - who needs it? 19. Key economic indicators 20. Conclusion

• How to Read the Financial Pages
• Eat The Rich