How to read financial news for business students
Whether you are earning an MBA in Entrepreneurial Leadership or a bachelor in entrepreneurial management, keeping up with the latest business and financial news is an important part of preparing for your career. However, take an excerpt from any number of major business publications and you are bound to come across terms and concepts that make an article harder to follow. And while earning your business degree will certainly help you in this regard, in the meantime, we’ve put together a few handy resources that can help make your business reading a breeze.
- An article on how to read a stock table
This Investopedia.com article offers a very simple overview of key terms used in a traditional stock table including a 52-week high and low, ticker symbol, dividend, volume, yield and P/E among others. Knowing these terms will help you navigate stock data both in print and digital format.
- A webinar on how to read financial news more effectively
Even seasoned investors can find the sheer volume of financial news overwhelming. In fact, many have their own strategies for getting the information they need quickly and effectively. BrightTALK, a technology media company, shares a webinar by six investors explaining how they cut through the clutter and make sense of financial news. Some of their tactics include news alert settings, feeds, bookmarks and more.
- A guide on how to read a financial report
A Merill Lynch guide on How to Read a Financial Report explains various financial statements that are referenced in business articles — for example, income statements, statement of cash flows, balance sheets and so on. To provide a framework for illustration, the guide uses a fictional company and then takes readers through a step-by-step analysis of key elements of each financial document. The very end of the guide also offers a helpful glossary of terms.
- Financial literacy books
A Wall Street Journal article, Financial Literacy 101: Where to Begin, offers a list of five book titles for those looking to understand the basics of investing. The list was compiled based on recommendations from financial advisers, mutual-fund experts and academics. The titles include:
- A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel
- The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John Bogle
- The Investment Answer by Daniel Goldie and Gordon Murray
- Winning the Loser’s Game by Charles Ellis
- Risk Less and Prosper by Zvi Bodieand and Rachelle Taqqu
- Finance and capital markets video resources
Khan Academy, a non-profit educational organization, offers high quality instructional videos on a number of subjects including finance and capital markets. As such, this resource can be ideal for those looking to gain foundational understanding of key finance and business topics referenced in the news. Some of the topics covered include interest and debt, housing, inflation, taxes, stocks, bonds and more.