With a global market value of $9.9 trillion, the New York Stock Exchange is undoubtedly the big boy on the stock exchange block. The NYSE Web site, like other exchange Web sites, provides all the gory details of how and why the NYSE does what it does. Unless you're enthralled by stock exchange tedium, you'll find only two reasons to visit the site-a wealth of composite market data stretching back over 30 years and an online booklet entitled You and the Investment World, which outlines how stock markets fit into the grand scheme of business. - Mike Hase
While StockUp does provide some useful information, such as a comprehensive listing of financial texts, its primary purpose can be found in the small print. You must register to access the site, and this "entitles" you to two free months of the StockUp Report via e-mail. The brain child of Marketing Direct Concepts (MDC), this report allegedly aims to increase public awareness of undervalued companies. The fine print informs you that these companies not only tell MDC what to write, they also pay MDC for the publicity. Furthermore, you'll discover that MDC has a position in the companies' securities. You do the math. - Mike Hase
If you like Worth magazine, you'll like its Internet avatar, Worth Online. The site contains daily market snapshots, columns from Peter Lynch and others, and several articles from the print edition of the magazine. A number of short courses on investment basics, an online chat show, and regular weekly columns make the site worth a visit even if you already subscribe to the magazine. The site's searchable archives, containing everything from both Worth's print and electronic editions, provide a quick education on the world of finance. - Mike Hase
Research Magazine comes in three flavors: a site for individuals requiring free registration, a site for brokers, and a site for analysts. The site's tour displays the impressive array of tools available with the individual-style account. As with most of these types of sites, you can obtain quotes, set up and track portfolios, and get news and information on the company of your choice. Unique features include a stock screen that lets you comb through thousands of issues to find those that meet your criteria. You can pay for other services at the site, but the free ones should sate the average investor. - Mike Hase
The deluge of online financial-information providers has caused sharp competition for advertising dollars, resulting in increasingly useful free sites. Case in point is GO2Business, a section of the GO2Net Web service. This site contains numerous articles written by movers and shakers in the financial industry, as well as a wide array of tools, which let you follow your stock picks and research companies. While most of these tools can be found elsewhere on the Web, the extremely informative articles cannot. If you're looking for one page to use as the base of operations for your investment shenanigans, you should consider GO2Business. - Mike Hase
The euro, slated to become the official currency of Europe in the year 2002, has fueled much debate in Europe and provided much amusement in America as we watch the Europeans claw at each others' throats. This official Web site of the European Commission dedicates itself to telling you, in many languages, everything you could possibly want to know about the euro through speeches, official documents, timetables, and even a nifty countdown-style clock. The site was still under construction when I visited, and the link to a picture of the new currency led, perhaps significantly, nowhere. - Mike Hase
Join the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) in exploring, and profiting from, the big business of bankruptcy. Billed as "The Premier Site for Bankruptcy Information," the ABI site will answer all of your basic bankruptcy questions and inform you of the latest legislative actions concerning bankruptcy. A members-only portion of the site purportedly provides additional information, but this section was down when I visited. I can't imagine that the average surfer will glean much from this site unless his widget farm has just gone belly up, but the suits will probably love this place. - Mike Hase
The opening page of EuroMoney online magazine states, "The material on this site is for financial institutions, professional investors, and professional advisers." It's not kidding. The seasoned investor will find a wealth of articles discussing many of the technical intricacies of international high finance, written by professionals in the field. The articles can be searched by keyword, country, or financial instrument. If you think that swaps are wild, '70s-style parties, then you should avoid this place like venereal disease. If you're comfortable in the rarefied world of exotic derivatives, then go through the free registration and see what you can learn from this impressive site. - Mike Hase