This guide uses official MSN/Microsoft documentation and current app listings to explain the watchlist features, charts, alerts, and best practices. Sources: Microsoft support & app pages.
Why choose MSN Money for market tracking?
MSN Money is Microsoft’s finance hub (app + web) that bundles market news, stock quotes, charts, and personal watchlists into a single, free product. It pulls data from major exchanges and combines news headlines from top publishers — making it a convenient hub for retail investors who want quick market snapshots and a clean watchlist experience. Official support pages and app listings describe these features and the cross-platform availability.
MSN Money — Quick features snapshot
- Personal Watchlists: create multiple watchlists, reorder symbols and group favorites.
- Real-time / delayed quotes: market data visibility for major exchanges and indexes (note: some feeds may be delayed depending on the exchange and your location).
- News & insights: aggregated headlines and company news next to quotes and charts.
- Charts & metrics: interactive charts, company profile, fundamentals and related securities.
- Cross-platform: available as a web experience and a mobile app (Android/iOS).
Get started: download & sign in (iOS / Android / desktop)
Mobile app: The official MSN Money mobile app (listed as “MSN Money — Stock Quotes & News”) is available on Google Play and Apple App Store. Search for MSN Money or use the direct store links to install the app and sign in with a Microsoft account to save preferences.
Step-by-step — Install & sign in (mobile)
- Open Google Play Store or Apple App Store and search for “MSN Money” (or “MSN” app which includes finance features).
- Install the app: tap Install / Get and allow required permissions (notifications, storage as needed).
- Open the app and sign in with a Microsoft account to sync watchlists across devices.
- Grant notification permissions if you want push alerts for watchlist price changes.
Step-by-step — Use on desktop
- Visit the MSN Money website (msn.com/money) in your browser.
- Click Sign in (top right) and authenticate with your Microsoft account.
- Open My Watchlist from the top menu to view or manage saved tickers. Official Microsoft support explains watchlist controls and management.
How to create and manage a Watchlist — step-by-step
The Watchlist is central to MSN Money. Below is a practical walk-through for creating your first list, adding symbols, reordering entries and moving items between lists. These actions are documented in Microsoft’s support pages for both mobile and desktop.
Step 1 — Create a new watchlist
- Open MSN Money (app or desktop) and sign in.
- From the top menu choose My Watchlist (desktop) or Watchlist (app).
- Select + New Watchlist (or Create watchlist) and give it a name like “Tech Stocks” or “Dividend Picks”.
Step 2 — Add tickers (stocks, ETFs, funds)
- Use the search bar to type a ticker symbol or company name (e.g., AAPL, MSFT, TSLA).
- Select the correct result in the dropdown. Click or tap Follow / Add to Watchlist.
- Choose the target watchlist (if you have multiple lists) or add to the default list.
Step 3 — Reorder & manage items
On desktop select Manage → Reorder to drag tickers up/down and Save. On mobile, use the Manage button inside the watchlist to edit and reorder items. You can also remove symbols individually.
Step 4 — Move or copy a stock between watchlists
- Open the stock’s detail page inside MSN Money.
- Tap the Follow / Following button and then select which watchlists the stock should belong to or choose + New Watchlist to create another list.
Pro tip: create lists by theme (e.g., “Dividend Income”, “Shortlist”, “Watch for Entry”) to keep monitoring focused and tidy.
How to read MSN Money stock quotes & tables (fast)
Stock tables can look dense at first. Below is a quick cheat sheet so you know exactly what each column or metric means when you open a quote on MSN Money.
Common columns and what they mean
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Last / Price | Most recent traded price (real-time or delayed depending on exchange). |
| Change | Absolute change vs previous close (shows money gained/lost). |
| Change % | Percent change vs previous close (quick performance snapshot). |
| Volume | Number of shares traded during the current session. |
| Day Range | Low and high of the current trading day. |
| 52-Week Range | Low and high over the last 52 weeks — useful for trend context. |
Note on real-time vs delayed quotes: many finance websites supply either real-time or slightly delayed feeds depending on exchange licensing. If you require millisecond-accurate real-time data for active trading, check the exchange’s feed policy or use a brokerage platform — casual investors can rely on MSN Money for timely price snapshots. (See general explanation of real-time vs delayed quotes).
Using charts & indicators
- Open a specific stock page and scroll to the interactive chart.
- Change chart ranges (1D, 1W, 1M, 6M, 1Y, 5Y) to inspect price moves over different horizons.
- Look at volume bars under the chart to validate price moves — high volume on big moves often indicates conviction.
Setting alerts and notifications
MSN Money supports alerts to keep you updated on price thresholds and major news. Alerts help you avoid having to stare at charts all day — set them for price targets, percent changes, or news about the company.
How to create a price alert (typical)
- Open a stock detail page in the app or web.
- Find the bell icon or Set Alert option and click/tap it.
- Enter your target price or percent change threshold and select notification type (push/email if available).
- Save the alert. You’ll receive a notification when the condition triggers.
Tip: combine alerts with watchlist groups — for example, set conservative alerts on long-term holdings and tighter alerts on short-term watchlist candidates.
Pro tips to use MSN Money like a pro
- Annotate screenshots: publish annotated walk-through images in your article or social channels — readers love visuals.
- Use multiple watchlists: separate long-term holdings from speculative ideas to reduce emotional trading.
- Link to company news: click the news feed on the company page to get context on price moves (earnings, M&A, guidance changes).
- Backup data: periodically export or copy your watchlist names and tickers in a notepad — support or sync issues occasionally happen. Microsoft community threads sometimes mention watchlist sync bugs; keeping a manual backup is good practice.
MSN Money vs competitors — quick comparison
MSN Money is a great general-purpose tracker, but here’s when you might pick other tools:
- Yahoo Finance: deeper community charts and more customizable quote tables for casual & semi-pro analysts.
- Google Finance: clean UI and tight Google ecosystem integration, good for basic tracking.
- Brokerage platforms (E*TRADE, Fidelity, Zerodha, etc.): required for actual order execution and instant real-time feeds for traders.
If you want the richest news aggregation plus Microsoft’s cross-platform integration, MSN Money is an excellent free option. For active trading or professional-level research, pair MSN Money with a brokerage or premium data service.
FAQ — Quick answers
Q: Is MSN Money free?
A: Yes — MSN Money (web and the app) is free to use. It may show ads or syndicated content from partner publishers. The core watchlist and quote features are available at no cost.
Q: Are the stock quotes real-time on MSN Money?
A: It depends on the exchange and licensing. Some data may be real-time while other feeds can be delayed — if you need guaranteed real-time data for trading, use a broker or paid data service. General resources explain the difference between real-time and delayed quotes.
Q: Can I sync watchlists across devices?
A: Yes — signing in with a Microsoft account syncs watchlists between web and mobile (app). If you run into sync issues, sign out/in or check Microsoft support for platform-specific guidance.
Q: How many watchlists can I create?
A: Microsoft doesn’t publish a strict limit in support documentation; typical users create multiple themed lists (Testing large scale use, contact Microsoft support if you need bulk/import features).
Conclusion — should you use MSN Money?
MSN Money is a reliable, free, and easy-to-use option for most retail investors who want to track stocks, follow market news and maintain watchlists across devices. It’s not a replacement for a brokerage when placing trades, but it’s an excellent data & news hub for research and watchlist management. For SEO, target practical, long-tail MSN-related queries, add annotated screenshots, and keep the content fresh to improve ranking chances.
