• The retrieval, management and analysis of daily market data
• Analysis and sorting of company fundamental data
• Charting using various formats and technical indicators
• Portfolio management
• Progressive financial statements

Price is not necessarily a good indicator of the quality of financial software programs. Be wary of programs offering guaranteed success and costing several thousand dollars where the non-returnable deposit alone may be far greater than the true value of the software. Most good comprehensive programs cost less than $1500 while a few of the more basic ones are available free. Many software vendors provide demonstration discs or internet downloads of their programs for a limited free trial period.

Some of the important points to consider when choosing financial software should include:

• Is it suitable for my personal needs and the Australian markets and taxation system?
• Does the software suite include all the components and historical data I will need?
• Will the program accept data other than in an expensive proprietary format?
• Are there regular program upgrades and at what cost?
• How does the program handle company re-constructions, mergers, name & code changes etc.?
• Is phone or email help freely available?

The following is a small selection of financial software vendors:

BullStation BullStation is WebLink's new innovative real-time financial information system. It combines unique features such as the 3D Depth Chart, NewsDesk, BullTicker and Map of the Market with standard tools such as charts, watchlists, market depth and course of sales information in a fully configurable and customisable workspace environment.

IC Investor IC-Investor is an all-in-one investment software package. With more than 100 indicators, 200 scans, 9 chart types, full fundamentals, full portfolio management, and much more.

Insight Trader  Insight Trader allows you to chart both live intraday tick data as well as end of day data with the one package and provides tools for you to do both technical and fundamental analysis. We also maintain both an adjusted and an unadjusted database for portfolio management and to compensate for company capital restructures respectively.

Lincoln Indicators  STOCKdoctor - high performance, peace of mind investing for Private Investors, Self Managed Super Funds, Financial Planners and Accountants, through our independent and objective software analysis program covering 1300 ASX listed companies.

MySF  MySF provides you with the means to take control of your DIY Super and lower your overall cost of compliance.

Paritech  Paritech offer a number of stock market software programs including: Advanced GET, MetaStock, HotTrader and OmniTrader

Sharefinder  Established in 1995, ShareFinder Investment Services specialises in stock market solutions and services for active investors wanting to improve their share investment returns in the short, medium or long term. We provide solutions including technical analysis toolbox software, medium term trading methodologies, fundamental and short-term modules, training and services all designed to fit the active investor profile

Spacejock  FCharts SE is a free stock charting program. Displays price and volume charts, write user-defined indicators and track your portfolio of stocks. Includes live intraday charting, also works with futures and currency data. FCharts Pro is also available.

Stex  Comprehensive, yet easy to use, charting & portfolio management software, successfully used by traders, investors, accountants and financial advisors for financial gain and to keep close, accurate control of investments. 

The Bourse Bourse Data offers a range of tools and services to help you make smarter trading decisions.