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.
