This is the information age.

With so much information circulating around us every day, it is becoming more and more difficult to concentrate on one thing at a time.

Tickers run under the news we watch. Customized videos play as we search for information on the web.

One place where extraneous information can be most distracting is when we are considering investment options and market noise abounds. Distractions like stock market noise are dangerous because they can cause seemingly rational investors to make irrational decisions.

Today’s investors have an infinite amount of stock market information at their fingertips. However, with this much information, sometimes it can feel like too much. All of this information can easily become market noise.

What is market noise?

Market noise takes many forms.

From email and text alerts to media coverage and the many websites dedicated to informing and educating investors, this noise appears to provide information about the stock market, but is typically untimely and distracting.

Market noise can cause investors to make emotionally driven decisions. These types of decisions often end up causing more harm than good.

How to avoid market noise

Whether investors actively seek out market noise or that noise is simply in the background of their everyday lives, noise impacts the way investors think and make decisions.
In order to avoid market noise from disrupting your long-term investment strategy, investors can make easy changes, including:

• Adjusting settings on mobile devices to eliminate stock market alerts
• Avoiding financial entertainment shows that boast market predictions
• Seeking out resources that weed out market noise and only deliver valuable information

Where is the good information?

Of course, being informed is important when it comes to investing. Keeping up with news about financial markets and finding real time stock quotes is important – especially for anyone interested in trading options.

There are many platforms that do a good job of weeding out the noise and delivering solid information about stock activity and company news. But with new platforms coming and going on what feels like a daily basis, it can be difficult to identify the best platforms.

Of course, we believe Option Alpha's built-in Watchlist is a great place to start. You can easily track hundreds of tickers, create a custom watchlist, filter multiple categories, and get actionable data right inside the platform.

Keep reading to find a list of external websites we recommend to our members.

Where to go for real-time stock quotes and market news

Bloomberg

News about politics, the global economy and financial markets impacts investment strategies.

This financial news site provides stock market news from across the world and allows you to choose which area of the globe you want to examine. It has a scrolling banner that shows breaking news and live trading levels for the key indexes. The site also carries a comprehensive economic calendar.

CNN Business

CNNMoney aggregates news articles from a variety of credible sources along with fundamental and technical data for each query. The site does a good job of highlighting breaking news.

It includes company news, politics, and a real-time market performance overview of various stock sectors. You can easily access the current stock market levels, statistics for key commodities and top investing stories in the markets tab.

Reuters

Not just for finance news, Reuters is a global news wire service covering all aspects of news but its business and finance section is top-notch and features relevant financial, economic and political stories from around the world.

There are also dedicated market and money sections on the site delving much deeper into the market news, segmented by market and country. The site also offers advice on the latest movements and investment opportunities. A perfect site for all your market news and information needs, including real-time stock quotes.

The Street

The Street is a dedicated financial news platform featuring a detailed analysis of all the latest news, events, political turmoil and company activity which are having an impact on the stock market today.

The site features a dedicated section for options trading offering real time stock quotes, advice and news on current options investments as well as articles, features, and tips for traders.

Seeking Alpha

This content-rich site is dedicated solely to the stock market and includes real time stock quotes, market news, analysis, and advice. What began as a contributor-powered community, has become so professionalized that it is now geared more for well-versed professional investors.

In addition to an overall market report, the site features sections on specific markets, including quick tip lists, market gains and losses and suggested strategies. It covers both global and US markets, today’s stock movements and has editors’ picks of the day. Much of the content is ungated, but the top-shelf stuff is largely reserved for paying subscribers.

Wall Street Journal

This US news outlet includes a dedicated markets section featuring live market prices for key indexes in a scrolling banner, as well as up-to-date news and economic information. There are videos and podcasts on the site and a quote section as well.

MarketWatch

As the name suggests, MarketWatch offers a window into the day’s stock movement with live charts and ticker displays. There is a quote section and in-depth information about all stock movement. This is not so much a news site with more of a focus on the financial numbers.

The site also contains company press releases that provides “unfiltered” news about a company as well as articles with an analytical slant.

Yahoo Finance

When times were less competitive, the free version of Yahoo! Finance was the place to be. A free version of Yahoo! Finance is still available and has a nice set of analytic tools, research reports, straight financial news, and user-generated content.

However, for serious investors the premium package might be more appropriate. The premium package is reasonably priced and includes options like enhanced charting, portfolio analytics, curated investment research from trusted third parties and proprietary leading indicator metrics from Yahoo! Finance partners for industry and economic analyses.

NASDAQ

This site holds a wealth of information including stock quotes, company news, analysis, interactive charts and historical data for all of the public companies in the U.S.A

Google Finance

This tool provides up to the minute news from Google as well as tools to develop quotes and access your portfolio, provided you have a Google account. It also features news and key indicators for global markets.

This straightforward platform is ideal for DIY investors comfortable performing due diligence with minimal support. Google Finance is free and it doesn’t appear to be planning to install a paywall anytime soon. Perfect for reviewing the latest U.S. and world markets news quickly, its features work well for less experienced investors looking to build and monitor a watchlist.

FINVIZ

This specialist site provides quick and easy visualization of the marketplace with easy to read charts that indicate whether the market is bearish or bullish, and a ticker table highlighting stocks with unusual volume, high volatility and those experiencing significant gains or losses.

CNBC

Powered by CNBC, this site provides investors with a detailed overview of the marketplace, but also has a forum with expert traders sharing their views and opinions about current in the marketplace under the site’s Trading Nation section.

MacroAxis

This hub offers news, analysis, and insight for all traders, including free tools, a portfolio manager option and a company directory of all US equities currently being traded.

ADVFN

This membership service offers free market news and information across all of the global markets. A paid subscription will provide access to newsletters containing market and investment insights from market veterans. The free options include interactive charts, tools and streaming prices.

MSN Money

This general money news site contains the latest news and intelligence from the biggest markets. The site provides users with the opportunity to create a watchlist and also includes a broker center.

FOX Business

As you would expect, this site is run by Fox News and primarily features finance news stories from around the world. Although it does highlight stocks experiencing significant spikes and dips, it is primarily focused on news stories rather than numbers.

Barchart

This site is different from the rest in that it is a provider of market data to businesses and individuals. If you go into the Options section, it highlights current options experiencing significant volatility and reports suggested spreads. You will notice much more detail for options traders than some of the more generic sites.

Morningstar

This site offers independent research, tools, and advice for investors, individuals, and companies. With a solid reputation for more than 30 years, Morningstar features a wealth of stock market news, updates and live numbers for traders of all levels. The site is content rich with articles full of informative investing strategies. To access ratings and detailed analysis, however, you’ll need to opt in to the premium subscription.

Final thoughts

Leveraging market quotes and news can be helpful in designing an investing strategy. The best way to incorporate market news into your investing approach is to keep a big picture perspective when it comes to risk tolerance and remain committed to your long-term objectives.