Stock Quote Details
The core information for any stock quote you obtain is consistent. On the first line you'll find the company or security name, with the symbol directly underneath.
Within the "visor" there are 4 key data elements:
- Last Price - This is the last price at which the stock was traded and the price at which you might buy or sell the stock. Note that these prices are "delayed" which means that the data you are viewing is at least 15 or 20 minutes old. Before you make any trade or investment decision, you should always contact your broker or financial advisor to confirm the most recent price in real-time. Prices reported from the New York Stock Exchange are delayed by at least 20 minutes. Prices reported from the NASDAQ or American Stock Exchange are delayed by at least 15 minutes.
- Net Change - The second data point, appearing after the last price is "Net Change." This figure represents the difference between the price at which the stock is trading currently and the last price at which the stock traded in the previous market session. For example, if the last price at which a stock was traded on Monday was 10, and the stock is trading at 15 on a Tuesday, the "Net Change" would be 5. The net change figure is represented in colored text corresponding to the up/down arrow. If net change is positive, the number will appear in green text. If the net change is negative, the number will appear in red text. If net change is zero, the stock is unchanged, and text will be black or plain.
- Up, Down or Unchanged - You will usually see an arrow between Net Change and Percentage Change. A red arrow (
) pointing down indicates that a given security is trading lower today than in the previous market session. A green arrow (
) means that the stock is trading higher today than in the previous market session. If you don't see an arrow at all, the issue is "unchanged", and is trading at the same price as it was in the previous market session.
- Percentage Change - The fourth and final data point is percentage change. This figure is displayed in parenthesis to make it easier to read. As the name suggests, this data point tells you the percentage by which the price of a security has changed from the previous market session. This figure is also displayed in colored text corresponding to the up/down indicator.
NOTE: There are many different types of securities that you might request a quote for, including mutual funds, market indices, money market funds, etc. Each security type has a unique data layout and, while similar to a stock quote, is different.
Other great quote features include:
Quote Comparison Features
AOL Money & Finance offers you comparison data at the click of a mouse for several key quote details. To view this data, simply click on the () icon that appears next to the various data sets. Each resulting popup displays a comparison of that stock against it's competitors, it's industry and it's sector.
If you select the day high/low popup you'll be presented with a comparison of the stock to it's competitors, industry and sector, and the relevant highs and lows for the trading day. There are also comparisons for 52 week high/low, volume and dividends.
Live Updates
Get the most recent quote information available without refreshing your page. You may choose to turn this feature off by clicking the "Off" link next to "Live Updates" in the upper right of the page, just above the scrolling ticker. Your preference will be remembered for future visits. To turn Live Updates back on, click the "On" link.
After Hours Trading
You can see the most recent after hours trading for your favorite stocks in the header of any page. The official closing price from the exchange will be displayed in the "visor". To the right of that you'll see the after hours data, if the stock is trading after the markets have closed. If your stock is not trading after the markets have closed, you will not see after hours data in the header.
Returns Calculator
AOL Money & Finance offers you a quick and easy way to calculate custom returns. You'll find a returns calculator to the right of the chart gallery on the Quote Details page. Own a stock and want to know how much it's grown since purchase? Simply enter a date, or click the calendar icon to select a date, and let us calculate the return for you. It is important to note this calculator does not account for the reinvestment of dividends.
A series of quick calculations are also provided for you, so that you know at a glace how the stock has performed intraday, year to date, or over the last month, 6 months, 1 year, 3 years and 5 years.
Stock Ticker
Use the handy ticker located at the top of every page to track market activity. You select what you view- choose from Markets, Recent Quotes, or one of your Portfolios.
Recent Quotes are tracked via cookie on your machine. Every time you access a new quote, it will be added to your cookie for future display in the ticker.
To view the most recent prices for market indicators or for holdings in your Portfolios, simply click the drop down arrow to the left of the ticker. Make your selection, and the ticker will automatically update. Note- to view your Portfolio prices, you must be signed in.
Coming Soon! Many of our beta testers have written to us to ask how to remove an item from the ticker. We heard you, and will be adding this feature in the coming months.