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December 18, 2009

StockTwits – Real Time Stock Advice

ss-stocktwits

StockTwits is an application that can help both novice and professional investors become better informed by providing an open-forum community for seasoned traders and everyday users. A microblogging service that utilizes the power of Twitter API, StockTwits gives users a way to follow specific streams of investing information about particular opinions or companies, and hopefully learn a bit along the way.

Start exploring StockTwits by searching for a particular ticker or company you’re interested in learning more about. Within an instant, you’ll see a listing of recent Tweets that discuss the company or ticker in question. After logging in with your Twitter details, you can begin posting tips of your own that will be passed along to other StockTwits users. You can also begin adding specific stocks to your StockTwits “portfolio” to receive additional updates whenever new information is posted. Not only that, but StockTwits.TV gives you the chance to watch short videos made by proven investors, as well.

For premium subscribers, StockTwits offers additional blog posts and tips from some of its top users. While this isn’t an application that everyone will be able to utilize or enjoy, StockTwits is definitely a service that active traders and investors will find infinitely useful in both their personal and professional endeavors.

Practical Uses:

  • Learn more about the stock market and specific companies
  • Read instantly when bad news strikes a particular sector or ticker
  • Eavesdrop on conversations between well-respected investors
  • Share your own knowledge of investing with others through Twitter

Insider Tips:

  • Download the StockTwits desktop app
  • Get your Tweets indexed on StockTwits by adding an $ tag
  • Upgrade to a premium account to read blogs by successful investors
  • Watch StockTwits.TV for additional trading information

What we liked:

  • Allows anyone to peek inside the minds of top investors
  • Ability to “chat” with other traders from around the globe
  • Great use of Twitter API to help people learn more about investing

What we didn’t like:

  • Everyday investors probably won’t get much use out of StockTwit’s up-to-the-minute trading information

Alternatives:

  • None

Company Info:

  • Launched: October 2008
  • Privately Held
  • Headquarters: Oakland, California
  • Founded by: Howard Lindzon and Soren Macbeth
  • Web site: http://www.stocktwits.com

Costs:

  • Free for basic users
  • Premium accounts range from $49.95 to $59.95/month

Comments

  1. Max

    A useful tool for day trading. The 65 character limit on comments help cut down on the useless chatter that sometimes takes place in stock chat rooms.

    Caveats:
    Stocktwits staff screens twits, which helps cut down on abuse but results in delays and occasionally, missing twits. It also means there is a potential that someone somewhere is front-running posts
    You have no way of knowing if the intention of someone posting is to pump a stock or front-run
    There are a lot of twit posters pushing chatrooms, services, and products that are dubious.

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