Internet search engine Google has launched a financial information service on its web site for the first time, allowing users free access to stock market data and news about corporate America.
The California-based company says the new finance service will compete with well-established rivals such as Yahoo Finance and Microsoft's MSN Money.
Google says its new site offers several innovative services for web users. The site will have interactive charts that show a company's stock price is affected by news reports. Google will also provide links to corporate commentary by the writers of weblogs, also called "blogs."
Yahoo Finance, which has been operating for 10 years, is the world's leading internet financial news provider. MSN Money is ranked second in global viewership.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.