Business: Finance and Investing

Prepared by Marcy Carrel (mcarrel@nelson.usf.edu)

2 September 2008

Finding Articles (Suggested Databases):

If you are off campus, please login through Blackboard and click through to the USF Libraries homepage. Under the tab “Resources,” click on “Databases by Title/Subject,” to search for databases of interest.  If you have any questions, please contact the Nelson Poynter Library Reference Desk at 727-873-4124.

Selected Databases: General business and management

ABI/INFORM Global

This is a premier business database which provides access to a wide variety of business literature, covering nearly 1800 business periodicals and scholarly journals, as well as the Wall Street Journal.  Much of the database is full-text. 

Business Source Premier (EBSCO)

A key scholarly database in the field of business, BSP provides full-text articles from over 2,300 journals.  Full text articles (PDF) from the Harvard Business Review date back to 1922.  BSP also includes market research, industry, and country reports from Datamonitor, EIU and other sources.

LexisNexis Academic 

LexisNexis is a premier database for business and legal research.  Under the top level “Search” tab, select the “business” sub-tab to search by and for company information.  Sources include Hoover’s directories, Disclosure (financials), and Investext reports.  To search business publications, select the top level “Sources” tab, then browse “by news & business topics” or by “industry”.  To identify finance-related sources, use the top level “Sources” tab and select by “industry” = banking & finance.

Selected Databases: Finance and investing

EDGAR – SEC filings and forms

"EDGAR, the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system, performs automated collection, validation, indexing, acceptance, and forwarding of submissions by companies and others who are required by law to file forms with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)".  Use to retrieve public company filings such as 10Ks, 10Qs and proxy statements – directly from the SEC.

Investext Plus

Provides investment, company, and industry reports from over 500 brokers.  Also available through Business and Company Resource Center database.  Reports vary from 1-30+ pages.

Mergent Online (formerly Moody’s)

Extensive financial information for U.S. and international companies, including SEC filings, annual reports, company profiles, industry reports, and country reports.  Allows screening across numerous financial and other criteria; data may be downloaded into Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.  (Begin by clicking “enter mergent online” at opening screen.)

Morningstar.com (Library edition)

Provides data and research on over 20,000 stocks and mutual funds, with information as current as the day's trading.  View analyst reports, search by specific data points, or create portfolios for comparisons.

Standard & Poor’s NetAdvantage

Financial data for publicly-held companies; news and information on the S&P indexes and the financial markets.  Search by company, industry, or mutual fund.  Includes the Security Dealers of North America directory; the collection of S&P Industry Surveys; and a “learning center” with basic guides to investing.

Value Line

Value Line provides investment research on stocks, mutual funds, options and convertibles.  Offers a one-page summary profile of a company, with stock price history and recent performance. Publishes a weekly survey and several rankings; allows stock screening and portfolio building; and offers educational tutorials and information on investing.

Selected Periodicals: Finance and investing  (see also “Accounting, audit, tax”)

To locate additional related journals (print or electronic), search or browse the USF Libraries catalog.  To specifically locate only electronic journals, select “E-Journals by Title.”  Please note that this information changes often.

Finding Books (USF Online Catalog):

Finance books are generally found in HG1 - HG9999 under the LC classification system.  Within this very large range, banking is found in HG1501-3550; finance management in HG4001-4285; investment in HG4501-6051; and insurance in HG8011-9999.  Public finance, including taxation and public accounting and auditing, is classed in HJ9-9940.

Searching the catalog by subject headings or keywords will identify e-books to read online, as well as the books on the shelves.  Reference books are on the first floor of the Poynter Library; books in the circulating collection (A-HN) are on the second floor; and HQ-Z is on the third floor.

Selected Reference Books:  (Poynter Library, first floor)

Almanac of business and industrial financial ratios (Troy) (REF HF5681.R25 T68)

This annual statistical publication presents business and financial ratios on businesses by NAICS code and asset size.  Data is based on corporate tax returns from the IRS.

Barron's finance & investment handbook (REF HG173 .D66 2007)

This 1220-page reference book includes a financial dictionary; a directory of publicly-traded companies; lists of brokerage firms, banks, and financial institutions; and guides on ‘how to invest your money’.

Business ratios and formulas: a comprehensive guide, 2nd ed., by Steven M. Bragg

(REF HF5691.B73 2007)

This recently revised book presents the ratios and formulas that are useful tools for measuring corporate performance.  “Each formula includes a complete description, explanation of the calculation, an example, and cautions regarding its use.”

Encyclopedia of finance, ed. by Cheng-Few Lee and Alice C. Lee (Springer)

(REF HG151.E625 2005)

Part one of this single-volume encyclopedia is a glossary of terminology.  Part two includes fifty authored essays on such topics as online trading, reincorporation, arbitrage, and the Asian bond market.  References and appendixes also included.

The individual investor’s guide to the top mutual funds (The American Association of Individual Investors) (REF HG4930.I49)

This annual handbook presents the top mutual funds by category.  For each selected fund, an information profile provides a single page of key performance statistics.

Industry norms & key business ratios (D&B) (REF HF5681.R25 I52)

This annual reference publication presents statistics on over 800 lines of business by SIC code.  Data, derived from financial statements, includes “typical” balance sheet and income statement items, as well as fourteen key performance indicators.  Also available online through USF Libraries subscription to the “Key Business Ratios” database.

Key concepts in accounting and finance (REF HF5621.S88 2004)

Part of the Palgrave Key Concepts series, this small 250+ page glossary provides brief definitions of concepts and terms such as credit tranche, j curve, and dirty float system.

RMA annual statement studies – Financial ratio benchmarks (REF  HF5681.B2 R6)

Published annually, this publication “contains composite financial data on manufacturing, wholesaling, retailing, service, and contracting lines of business”.  By industry NAICS codes, it presents financial statement ratios and common-size balance sheet and income statement items.  Trend data and data by asset and sales size available.

Selected Web sites:

There are many finance and investment-related Web sites.  Some of the more useful sites I have bookmarked can be located at http://del.icio.us/marcylibrarian/business:finance.  (This list changes often!)  A few selected sites are noted below:

“Best of the Best Business Web sites”, from BRASS-Business Reference and Services Section (RUSA, ALA/American Library Association) (http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaourassoc/rusasections/brass/brassprotools/bestofthebestbus/bestbestbusiness.htm)

A list of Web sites by business category and selected by a group of reference librarians.  See the section on “Financial Markets and Investments”.

Big Charts (http://www.bigcharts.com)

From MarketWatch (Dow Jones), Big Charts is “the world's most comprehensive and easy-to-use investment research Web site, providing access to professional-level research tools such as interactive charts, quotes, industry analysis and intraday stock screeners, as well as market news and commentary.”

Investopedia (http://www.investopedia.com)

A Forbes Media Company, Investopedia offers financial dictionaries, calculators, articles, tutorials, and other investment information.  The site includes both free and premium content.

Remember, you may contact a Reference Librarian in person, by phone (727/873-4124), or via chat (from the Ask a Librarian link on the USF Libraries web site).

Marcy Carrel

Email: mcarrel@nelson.usf.edu

Blog:   http://BusinessResearchUSFSP.blogspot.com/

Updated:  September 2, 2008