Feature Request: Smarter stock symbol lookups
Mar 21, 2006 | 
4
| AJAX + Feature Request + Google
With today's launch of Google Finance I am reminded of a feature that is missing from every major finance site I can think of: Smarter Stock Symbol Lookups!
On every finance site I have ever used, you have to know the company's exact stock ticker symbol in order to pull a quote, add to a portfolio, etc. Sure, they offer a "symbol lookup" tool if you can't remember those three or four unique letters, but why make me jump through hoops? Make it easier!!
Here's what I want.
Let's say I am interested in getting a quote for Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway, but I don't remember the ticker. I want to type "berkshire" in the symbol field and instead of seeing this:
I want to see this:
With ajax oozing out of all the new web app (including the new Google Finance), I am surprised no one has implemented this yet.
Please! Someone steal this idea! I beg you!
As an aside, my overall impression of Google Finance is similar to Om Malik's take. The charts and blog mentions are nice and it might spur Yahoo! to improve their site, but it is not enough to convert the average Joe.
4 comments so far
I dont see the problem.
http://finance.google.com/finance?q=Berkshire+Hathaway&btnG=Search
Even berkshire works:
http://finance.google.com/finance?q=berkshire&btnG=Search
Another idea to steal would be a shopping cart that lets you load up stocks or bonds you are buying or selling and changing the charts and comparison criteria from the various statements. I'm always opening a dozen tabs whenever I'm trying to figure out where I want to be in a sector, or what's ripe to sell.
Mark, it is true that a regular search works (as you would expect).
But, the form for adding stocks to your portfolio does not.
http://finance.google.com/finance/portfolio?action=view
That's the one I'd like to see improved (as well as the one on my.yahoo.com, fidelity.com, etrade.com, etc.)
Kaleberg, good idea!