Favorite Web Sites: Business and Financial
Information
The web sites featured this month have been critically evaluated and selected
by the IU Northwest librarians as well as a group of academic and public librarians across
the United States who compile a yearly Best
Free Reference Web Sites List for the American
Library Association. Here is a list of selection
criteria initially created by the MARS Best Free Websites Task Force to choose
these sites. The Library hopes our readers will find these web sites useful for
locating reliable, accurate and authoritative information on the Internet.
Bankrate.com provides consumers with financial data, research and
editorial information on investment and non-investment financial
products. Information on mortgages, credit cards, new and used auto
loans, money market accounts and CDs, checking and ATM fees, home
equity lines and loans, and online banking fees is gathered from
more than 2500 financial institutions in 120 markets in 50 states
and Puerto Rico. Credit union rates are also included. Six
calculators also assist patrons with mortgages, credit cards,
savings, auto leasing, loans and relocation. In existence since 1982
as a banking newsletter, Bank Rate Monitor went on the
web in April of 1995 and is updated weekly. (Summary used by
permission of the MARS Best Free Websites Committee)
BigCharts is an investment charting and research web site that
provides access to stock quotes, industry analysis, market news and
commentary. The Historical Quotes area contains stock price
information as far back as 1985. The BigReports section provides up
to date information on the "Bigmovers," the "Bigpics," etc.
"MarketPulse" news bulletins appear on the home page and pertinent
news articles are linked to individual stock quotes and profiles. Of
course, one of the major appeals of this site is the quality of the
graphics used to present business information. It is not unusual to
see BigCharts tables and graphs on other financial web sites. The
interactive charting feature allows the user to customize charts to
exact specifications, including the comparison or overlaying of
data. Big Charts seems to set the web standard for graphic
presentation of business data. (Summary used by permission of the
MARS Best Free Websites Committee)
CI: Corporate Information, which merged in January 2000 with the
Wright Research Center site, offers both company profiles and more
extensive research reports on selected companies. The global scope
of CI: Corporate Information is especially noteworthy; it is an
excellent jumping off point for finding international business
information. In addition to providing a search engine for
approximately 300,000 public and private company profiles drawn from
sites around the world, the site provides access to research reports
on approximately 15,000 companies in over 50 countries. It should be
noted that most of the linked sites are free, but the user will run
into a few that are fee-based. (Summary used by permission of the
MARS Best Free Websites Committee)
Through its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval
site EDGAR, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) makes
all submissions by U.S. public companies since 1993 available in
full-text. Beginning in November 2002, all foreign companies listed
on U.S. exchanges are also required to file registration statements,
periodic reports, and other forms electronically through EDGAR.
Filings include annual (10k) and quarterly (10Q) reports, annual
reports to shareholders, and other filings that provide a
comprehensive overview of a company's financial condition and
business practices. Users may search by company name, the SEC's CIK
(Central Index Key, File number, State or SIC (Standard Industrial
Classification code). EDGAR is a key source for detailed company
financial information for business and investment research. (Summary
used by permission of the MARS Best Free Websites Committee)
Calumet Regional Archives Co-Sponsors a Photography Exhibit at
the Indiana Welcome Center
Lake
Michigan’s Steel Shores: The Heritage of Steelmaking in Northwest
Indiana, a photograph exhibit, is now on display at the
Indiana Welcome Center in Hammond. Developed by IU Northwest Fine Arts
Professor Gary Wilk and IU Northwest Archivist Steve McShane, with funding
from the Center for Cultural Discovery and Learning, the exhibit
depicts scenes from three Northwest Indiana steelmakers: Inland
Steel Company’s (now Mittal Steel) Indiana Harbor Works, The Steel
and Tube Company (later known as LTV Steel) and U.S. Steel’s Gary
Works. The selected images were taken from photograph collections
preserved in the Calumet Regional Archives, housed in the IU
Northwest
Library. The display offers a visual documentary record of over a
century of steel production in Indiana’s Calumet Region.
According to a Welcome Center press release, "over
20 exhibitors have been selected to represent the ingenuity that’s
helped Northwest Indiana make its manufacturing mark and is pushing
the region in new directions. The free exhibit, open to all weekdays
during business hours, will run from September 17 through November
6, 2005. A highlight will be a unique “gallery of regional
innovations and innovators.” The exhibit is co-sponsored by US Steel
Gary Works and Mittal Steel U.S.A. with the Ivy Tech Innovation &
Entrepreneurship Center.
The Welcome Center,
one of the area’s architectural showpieces is conveniently located
off of the Kennedy South exit of I-80/94. For information and
directions, phone (219) 989-7979 or (800) ALL-LAKE.
, Library News Web Editor
|
