StockTwits
by CI Staff
StockTwits is a real-time social network that allows users to share news and rumors about companies, express opinions on investments and investment strategies, and share with or seek advice from other users. The website is very similar to Twitter, which means you can follow ticker symbols as well as other users. StockTwits is also ideal for investors who want to focus on investment-related media with ease. The website, www.stocktwits.com, is compatible with both PCs and Macs and opens in any major browser, including Internet Explorer, Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.
The StockTwits website holds several advantages over other investing social media sites. One advantage is the watchlist function, which allows users to add stock ticker symbols into a portfolio that screens “twits” to ensure the user only sees feeds for stocks mentioned in that watchlist.
One potential downside is that some of the “twits” are questions, opinions, or statements of exasperation rather than news. However, this could potentially provide insight into investor sentiment toward certain stocks or even the market. Another downside is that currently “trending” or popular companies tend to dominate the feed. For instance, Apple (AAPL) is having a fantastic run at the moment so most of the feeds are about Apple, which overshadows other stocks. To address this issue, StockTwits allows users to create multiple watchlists so they can fine-tune the feed they receive. If you give Apple its own watchlist, the original stream will slow down, making it easier to notice news about companies that would have otherwise been buried under Apple’s spotlight.
If a user prefers to keep one watchlist for all their holdings, StockTwits allows users to freeze updates by clicking pause stream, located just above the stream. Clicking it a second time will resume the stream of feeds. This is another useful function for users who find themselves chasing a feed down the screen because the stream is updating too quickly.
Another great feature is the pop out stream function. Clicking pop out stream, located to the left of pause stream, will open a small separate window containing that watchlist’s stream. This allows users to easily and efficiently view multiple watchlist streams simultaneously or work on something else while being able to glance at the feeds.
In addition to the live stream, StockTwits also allows users to view and share charts and videos about certain stocks, markets and investments. The chart feature is located at the top of the website on StockTwit’s red ribbon. Users can search for specific charts using the search bar, navigate different markets using the tabs on the left, and upload charts by clicking “share a chart” at the top of the page. The videos are recorded screencasts, which allow users to record their computer screen and share it. To record a screencast, simply click on “record a screencast” at the top of the page, no download is required. This offers a great opportunity for investors to share and explain their insights, opinions and methods.
StockTwits also has a blog feature, located at the top of the website on the red ribbon. With this feature, users can read blogs on a wide range of investment-related topics. At the bottom of the blog page, users will find StockTwit’s blogs broken down into specific categories, such as Market Commentary, Technical, Educational and Quantitative. This allows users to navigate through a multitude of blogs to find those most relevant to their needs and interests.
StockTwits offers all of these features for free, which makes it great value. However, for investors who are seeking a bit more, StockTwits offers premium blogs that users can subscribe to individually at varying prices. StockTwits is also expected to add more premium content in the form of news, trading tools, and data streams. Premium content can be found at www.stocktwits.com/store/categories.
StockTwits
www.stocktwits.com