Investing

New Tools for the Online Investor

The latest in Web-based trading from TD Ameritrade, Fidelity, and others. Sites are more personalized, more sociable, and more international

By David Bogoslaw and Will Andrews

Active online investors are faced with a dizzying array of tools and features offered by Web-based brokerages and other sites. Some of the latest wrinkles: features that add a social networking component to trading stocks and options, advanced charting tools and advisory services, and trading platforms to make global investing easier.

Here, BusinessWeek spotlights some of the most noteworthy features now on offer.