Bigger, better Google Finance charts -- and how to get the most out of them

Friday, August 27, 2010 at 9:11 AM

Posted by Tianpeng Jin, Software Engineer

One of the most popular features on Google Finance is our charts. In fact, we like them so much we thought they’d benefit from being bigger. So today we launched a new feature on our individual stock and market charts: the ability to expand them to fill the page and allow for further refinement.

Here are our top tips & tricks for using Google Finance charts, including a few longstanding ones you may not have seen before.

1) Big charts (NEW)

To expand a stock chart, click the arrow button in the upper-right corner. Voilà! The chart fills the page, making it easier than ever to see and manipulate. If you want to collapse it, just click the arrow button again. 

Before:

 

After:

2) Customize your chart view in ‘Settings’ 

You can change the content of the charts to include or exclude news flags, dividends, splits, volume, and after hours trading data by clicking on the ‘Settings’ tab under the chart. From this panel, you can also change the scale from linear to logarithmic and change the default zoom for your charts. Also on the Settings tab, you can switch your charts to a variety of types. Instead of a line graph, you can opt to view candlestick or OHLC (Open, High, Low, Close) charts. 

3) Plot custom news feeds on your charts 

Using the ‘Plot Feeds’ tab, you can customize the news annotations on your chart to come from a favorite RSS feed or news source. Simply click the tab, enter the Feed Address, and click Plot Feeds. Here you can see I’m tracking The Apple Blog.

4) Let’s get technical 

The ‘Technicals' tab allows you to add a variety of technical data to your charts for more advanced tracking. Available technicals range from Simple and Exponential Moving Averages to KDJ Indicators and Bollinger Bands, among many more. You can set up as many technical data series’ to your charts as you like and view up to six at a time.

Try these tips out and let us know what you think or submit your suggestions for Google Finance on our Product Ideas page. Stay tuned for more as we keep building out Google Finance.

Google Finance smartens up for your smartphone

Monday, August 23, 2010 at 2:59 PM

Posted by Brian Shih, Product Manager

Here on the Google Finance team, we’re always looking for new ways to help you access the finance data, charts, and reports that you need in the blink of an eye. But all the data in the world won’t help if you can’t access it when you need it most. Since many of us are on the run throughout the day and don’t always have our computers in front of us, it came as no surprise that one of users’ most frequently requested features was a fast, easy-to-use mobile website for Google Finance.

We heard your feedback and are please to announce we’ve launched the new Android/iPhone edition of Google Finance for mobile! The markets don’t stop when you leave your desk, so we’re bringing the markets to you. Our new design gives you a unified experience across desktop and Android or iPhone phones, offering nearly all the same features and functionality on both. You can easily access the new site when you do a Google search for stock tickers or company names on your mobile device, or when you tap the "Finance" tab on the Google mobile homepage.

Now no matter where you are, you can keep up with your portfolio, the latest market news, and the sectors you care about, with real time quotes and data -- all at a glance.

Prefer it in app form? Android users can also get the Google Finance app in Android Market.

As always, if you have feedback on this or other topics, please share it on our Google Finance survey or visit our Product Ideas site where you can share and vote on ideas.

For more tips and tricks on Google Finance, follow us on Twitter.

What do you wish Google Finance could do?

Friday, August 13, 2010 at 11:16 AM

Posted by Laura Hughes, Consumer Operations
Have you ever had an idea for Google Finance? We want to hear it! Today we’re opening up our very own Product Ideas page.

The Google Finance team looks to our users for feedback and ideas. Knowing what you care about helps us set our priorities when we’re developing the product. Our Product Ideas page lets you submit, vote on, and read other ideas from users. Best of all, it allows the team to jump in and see what YOU want. We’ll respond directly to the ideas that you’re most excited about.

So, don’t hesitate -- tell us what you think would make your Google Finance experience more efficient and more exciting. Take a look at some of the most voted Ideas now and submit your own.



For further feedback visit our product survey here. Stay tuned for more as we keep building out Google Finance and catch the latest from the Google Finance team by following us on Twitter.