Ubuntu Tips n Tricks

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 02:22 AM PDT

Whether you're a stock market trader or just an investment enthusiast, the computer is something that you'll always need for your work. On Windows, there are already a plenty of different software for managing your finances. Linux on the other hand, is yet to catch on in this department, but there are still quite a few good free and open-source finance/accounting software for Linux.

Don't be disappointed though, as the scenario is slowly changing with the London Stock Exchange recently switching to Linux. Also, Linux boasts of developers who come from all walks of life, thus, there are a few applications that will come in handy for those who are into stock market and investing who prefer to use this platform.

In this article, we'll highlight 3 of the best stock market software for Linux.

JStock

JStock is probably the best stock market software for Linux out there. It comes with a bunch of great features that will make stock management a lot easier. Here's a look at some of the features JStock has to offer:

The free and open source application comes with support for 26 world stock markets. Countries include U.S, U.K, China, Canada, Brazil, Hong Kong, Germany, France, India and many others. JStock makes it easy for you to monitor the stock market with its slick indicator that grabs public data from Yahoo! Finance.

Besides keeping you updated with the latest stock figures, JStock also allows you to monitor stock price movement in second's precision. The stock price is captured every 10 seconds on a daily basis. If you're interested in only a select number of stock markets, you can create separate watchlists for your convenience. JStock allows you to create unlimited number of such watchlists.

JStock also lets you manage your stock portfolio by calculating your net stock worth, recording your buy and sell record. To remind yourself about a particular stock you've your eye on, you can put a sticky note next to it. Not just that, JStock also allows you to create and manage an unlimited number of portfolios.

The best feature of JStock, which puts it a notch above its competitors, is the alerts system. Suppose if you're monitoring a particular stock, and let's say you want to sell it when it reaches a particular buying/selling point. Either you can sit at your computer all day monitoring the numbers, or you could sit back, relax and let JStock do that for you. Once you set the particular stock you want to monitor, JStock will automatically send you an SMS, Email and a System tray notification informing you that your stock has reached its buying/selling value.

For folks who are crazy about stats, JStock also offers summary charts of your investment history, dividend payout and much more.

Finally, to make sure your data is always backed up and safe, JStock offers you cloud storage with which you can easily sync all your stock data across different computers. Cool huh? Despite being laden with so many awesome features, JStock is free and open source that makes it the no 1 stock application for Linux. Also, the software is cross-platform, which makes it easy to run on any computer be it Windows, Mac, Solaris or Linux. If you're having trouble installing JStock on your desktop, take a look at this step by step guide which teaches you how to get the application up and running on a Linux box.

Eclipse Trader

Eclipse Trader is a stock market trading application based on the Eclipse Rich Client Platform. This free and open source application offers some great features like shares pricing watch, intraday and history charts with technical analysis indicators, level II/market depth view, news watching, and integrated trading. Licensed under GPL, Eclipse trader also allows third-party vendors to extend the functionality of the applications by developing their own indicators and subscription feeds. Localized in English and Italian, Eclipse Trader is completely free and works across Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

Grism

Grism is an open source stock market observation tool that lets you monitor stock market changes using watchlists, portfolios and charts. Like the aforementioned JStock, Grism also uses Yahoo! Finance for its quote data. With the application, you get to create an unlimited number of watchlists and portfolios.

The Charts feature lets you create detailed dynamic charts of your stock activity and even export them to a .PNG file. Though not as feature-laden as Jstock, Grism is a handy stock application for folks who are looking for something simple and easy to use. Grism is open source and runs across all desktop platforms.