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The best free news sources for investors

Rebecca Webber

Investing can be a lucrative yet volatile endeavour. Share prices can fluctuate massively and are highly influenced by changing world events. This is why fast, unrestricted information is crucial for investors.

Before telephones and instant information sharing capabilities, investors used carrier pigeons to rapidly share information. This was used by such people as Julius Reuter who used 45 birds to share information between Brussels and Aachen in 1850.

However, perhaps the most famous or infamous use of carrier pigeons can be linked to the Rothschild family. It is said that after Napoleon was defeated at waterloo, the family used their superior communication network to share the news with England before anyone else. Nathan Rothchild was said to spread misinformation about the result sparking shareholders to sell cheap in a panic. When prices were low, he is said to have bought British shares at rock bottom prices. When official news came that the British had actually won, those share prices soared making the family millions.

However, the veracity of these claims is doubtful. Some sources claim this is only partially true, whilst others claim it is part of an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. Whatever the case may be, the fact remains that whoever receives news first can make the best stock market decisions. It is important to know exactly which financial news sources can be trusted to publish the fastest, most accurate information. This article will list the best business news websites in order for you to make informed business decisions.

Is financial news under a paywall?

Journalism has been deeply affected by the growth of internet content. As the internet allowed free information to be shared online, people began to buy less print news. In response, news publishers have had to change their business model. Many media companies established news websites. However, to monetize these, there are few options. Some rely on advertising. Unfortunately, many news sites have become peppered with clickbait and scam ads.

Many news websites and publishers also rely on donors and therefore have become political pawns in the culture war. Even publicly owned businesses such as the BBC, which are largely funded by UK license fee payers, receive large financial donations. For example, in 2020, they received £1,399 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The same group also donated $3,499,032 to the Guardian Newspaper in 2020. In 2020 alone, news publishers received $619.5m or £518m from donors. This calls into question the impartiality of these news websites. Can they be relied upon to produce news that may be unfavourable towards or politically opposed to their top donors?

Many financial news websites have implemented a subscription paywall to fund their reporting and ensure that they can continue to publish quality content. However, this relies on the consumer’s willingness to pay for information they may be able to find elsewhere for free. The potential failure of this method was recently shown by the $300 million failure of the CNN subscription-based news streaming service. This was closed only a month after launching as analytics showed they had only 10,000 viewers per day. Established finance news websites have had better luck as their long-standing reputations mean many will happily pay a subscription for premium information.

This includes:

However, there are also a number of free sources of financial news.

Is social media good for financial news?

Social media is an essential source for finding breaking news. As almost everyone now has an internet-connected smartphone, much of the world’s news is now supplied by citizens. This is known as citizen journalism. More often than not, a citizen will film and publish ongoing events as they happen right in front of them. This is often minutes or even hours before journalists can arrive. This was seen during the death of George Floyd and the subsequent BLM protests. Darnella Frazier, who filmed the death of George Floyd, was even given a Pulitzer Prize.

To keep an eye on the pulse of the world and events that may change stock values, it is a good idea to actively check social media. Furthermore, platforms like Twitter allow you to follow leading investment authorities. Publishers and investors alike will often share the latest business news and advice about financial markets. If you follow the right people, you can cultivate a continuous stream of stock market news and valuable investment information.

Is YouTube a reliable financial news source?

Much like with social media, the reliability of video-sharing platforms like YouTube depends on who you follow. Again, you can selectively choose who to watch, so the quality of the information depends on your choices. However, as there are tens of millions of channels on the platform, there is a wealth of information to choose from.

Most traditional economic news publishers now share stories on the platform. This includes business news giants CNBC. Interviews from world-leading investors such as Warren Buffet can be found on the platform. Also, YouTube hosts more long-form news segments such as podcasts. This allows you to get an in-depth analysis of the latest market developments rather than basing your opinion on short news snippets or articles.

Also, thanks to the YouTube algorithm, if you view stock news videos, they will recommend other economic news channels. This means the best stock market news channels will be brought directly to you. However, this can also work the other way. As there are no qualifying criteria to decide who can and can’t talk about business news, anyone can share their opinion. Therefore it is important to check the credentials and credibility of the channel and the people involved before listening.

What are the best stock market news websites?

Investing.com

Investing.com is one of the leading websites that provide market data for free. This market data is continuously updated in real time. The stock market data provided on this website allows you to make financial decisions when trading stock. The website also provides further financial information about other products, including:

The website also has features allowing you to sign up for stock news alerts free of charge

Investopedia.com

Investopedia.com is another excellent source of free financial news. However, they cover more than just international business news. The website also is an encyclopedic educational tool teaching you everything you need to know about stock trading. It lists and breaks down all the different investment terminology into easily digestible definitions.

They even have an in-built stock market simulator. This allows you to familiarise yourself with stock markets before you start to trade stocks for real. They also have a stock market academy that teaches you how to invest and trade in the stock market. However, this is not available in certain areas such as the UK.

Yahoo Finance

Finance.yahoo.com is another quality website that publishes the latest financial news. It also tracks the latest updates in the stock market, including the biggest winners and losers. The website also hosts updates about:

Yahoo Finance also allows you to track the performance of your entire stock portfolio. You simply link your brokerage account to the website, and you can track your trading success.

CNN Business

CNN Business is a useful financial news site bringing the latest business news from across the globe. It covers topics like energy production and its effect on stock prices, the housing market, stock market losers, and technological advancements. Any topic that is likely to affect the share prices of investors is covered.

They also publish videos along with their editorial, which further broadens your understanding of topics. Much like other financial news sources, they provide continuously updated figures of the stock market.

One of the site’s more unique features is its fear and greed index. This measures and predicts what emotion is driving stock market momentum. As investing is often based on predicting the psychological reaction to world events and estimating how people will buy in response, this is extremely beneficial.

CNBC

CNBC.com is recognised by many as the world leader in financial news. However, their website is also a great source of free financial news. They publish all the latest stock news and financial developments from all over the world. They even have a dedicated investors section that gives you updates and advice on different company shares.

They also provide continuously updated share price information on a number of different stocks. This includes; oil, gold, and cryptocurrency.

Free news sources for investors: Summary

In modern times financial news can be shared instantaneously. However, that does not mean it is easily accessible. The same internet age that made this possible has severely damaged the journalistic landscape. Fewer people are buying print media, and so journalism has largely moved online. To make this financially viable, paywalls have been implemented. Some of the best financial news sites, such as the Wall Street Journal, require you to pay to access their content.

However, there are a number of different sources of free financial news. Social media, for example, allows you to follow experts in the field, thus curating your own customised stream of financial information. YouTube is much the same with the added benefit of long-form interviews with financial experts. This gives you a more complete overview of a topic.

There are still a number of stock market websites that you can use for free. The best examples include:

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