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earlier discussion

Do you have a question on how to get more out of your Watchlist? As we prepare to retire our old-style Stocklist and Fundlist tools at the end of this week, we are welcoming many new Watchlist users and would like to help you get comfortable with Watchlist.

Software developer Jonathan Tracy took your questions. You can read a transcript below.











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10:57 Sonali Verma - Good morning! I'm Sonali Verma, Report on Business digital editor. Thanks for joining us. We'll be starting our discussion shortly.

11:00 Sonali Verma - If there's anything you'd like to know about Watchlist, this is a good place to be. Jonathan Tracey, our software developer who oversees Watchlist, will be here to help answer your questions.



11:02 [Comment From David Martin]

During the last update session you asked me to send you an email as I was being challenged by converting to watchlist. But before I finished sending the email the Live session stopped and killed my typing to you. Please send a request to me again please

11:02 Sonali Verma - Hi, David. Have you tried emailing globeinvestor@globeandmail.com? That is the best source of help.

11:03 [Comment From Guest]

Can you create a chart for "My Shares" to cover a specified period?

11:04 Sonali Verma - Hi there. You can see three different time periods for charts if you use the Overview view on your Watchlist. That's the five-day, one-day and 52-week range.

11:04 [Comment From Mahinder Lal]

In the Fund List, one could include ETFs and see ETF profile like a mutual fund. Now in Watchlist, ETFs can only be included as Stocks and one can not access Mutual Fund profile to include Standard Deviation, volatility etc.

11:06 Sonali Verma - Hi, Mahinder. You can still access the fund profile by clicking on the fund name -- it will give you the standard deviation, volatility, and other details.

11:06 [Comment From Rob]

In 'Build Your Own' View, when I hit customize, I can't drag and drop to reorder coloums...I already have customized coloumns as I did this successfully before.

11:07 Sonali Verma - Which browser are you using, Rob?

11:07 [Comment From Rob]

Internet Explorer 8

11:08 Sonali Verma - Sounds like something we'll have to look into. Thanks for telling us.

11:08 [Comment From Guest]

Re: charts for "My Shares". Thanks I'll try that. Dan

11:08 [Comment From Chuck Pusateri]

Will Portfolio Holdings also need to be re-done?

11:09 Sonali Verma - No, it will still live on. Only Stocklist and Fundlist are being retired.

11:09 [Comment From David Martin]

I still do not see where you have designed in the ability to chart two mutual funds from Watchlist. When on Watchlist if you click on the fund, the profile page has a chart option. It takes one back to FundList Graphing section and one can add another fund from my FUNDLIST. Have you actually got the graphing section ready in WatchList or NOT ?

11:09 Sonali Verma - Thanks, David. That's a feature that will be coming in the future.

11:10 [Comment From Guest]

what are the privacy standards with ones portfolio listings on Wathlist ?

11:11 Sonali Verma - We don't share any of our user information with any other organisation. Privacy is really important to us as well.

11:11 [Comment From Ben]

On the old system, I can see 10 years of performance for a few different portfolios of mine. How can I keep that valuable history into the new system?

11:12 Sonali Verma - Hi, Ben. Portfolio Holdings, or the My Portfolio tool, will still be available, even after Stocklist and Fundlist are gone at the end of this week.

11:13 [Comment From John W]

Can I enter a price and date and then watch the stock's performance over a period of time

11:13 Sonali Verma - Hello, John. You'll need to use the portfolio tool for that:

http://portfoliodb.theglobeandmail.com/gishome/plsql/port_gis.homepage

11:14 [Comment From Guest]

Why does it no longer work to change the 'view' ?

11:14 [Comment From Guest]

Why does it no longer work to sort by some metric by clicking the column heading?

11:14 Sonali Verma - Which browser are you using? Do you have Java script enabled? (I ask because it's working for me on my IE.)

11:15 [Comment From Jo]

How do I get the trading volumes column to show up on Watchlist?

11:16 Sonali Verma - Go to the Build Your Own view for Stocks. Click Customize. Then drag and drop the Volume column into the place you want to see it.

11:16 [Comment From Guest]

Why don't the metrics available for indexes include all the %returns for the different time periods? That is what indexes are used for.

11:17 Sonali Verma - It's a performance view that we are planning to add in for commodities, currencies and indexes.

11:17 [Comment From Jo]

Is there a fee for using Watchlist?

11:17 Sonali Verma - Not at all. It's free. Enjoy it! All you have to do is register.

11:17 [Comment From Bob]

Is there any way that original stock costs can be listed and then current total values be automatically updated ?

11:18 Sonali Verma - Sounds like another candidate for our portfolio tool:

http://portfoliodb.theglobeandmail.com/gishome/plsql/port_gis.homepage

11:19 [Comment From John W]

Thanks I really like my watchlist and follow it daily.

11:19 Sonali Verma - Thank you very much!



11:19 [Comment From Mike]

My Watchylist keeps reverting to an older version I updated several weeks ago. Have tried logging out and back in again but no change.

11:19 Sonali Verma - Our customer service reps can help you with that. Please email that to: globeinvestor@globeandmail.com

11:20 [Comment From Guest]

Browser is Firefox

11:20 Sonali Verma - Is it Java script-enabled? That might be the problem.

11:21 [Comment From John W]

All my real investments are in my portfolio. I would like to know gains or losses in my watchlist along with all the other useful information. This would help me in making a buying decision. Thanks you.

11:21 Sonali Verma - If you want to see daily gains or losses, you can use the My Shares view on Watchlist. For longer-term changes, price history and transaction history, stick with the portfolio tool.

11:22 [Comment From Guest]

How do I get the time of the last transaction for stocks in Build Your Own view? Latest Price column normally has this, but not in Build Your Own.

11:23 Sonali Verma - Thanks for pointing that out! We'll add it in as a column that you can pick when you customize your Build Your Own view.

11:23 [Comment From Jo]

Where is "build your own view" located?

11:25 Sonali Verma - Glad you asked. It is under the Stocks and ETFs section.



Look at the upper right hand corner of the Stocks and ETFs box. You will see a drop-down menu from where you can choose your preferred view, such as My Shares, Dividends, Per Cent Performance, All News, Earnings, and others. Pick the Build Your Own option.

11:25 [Comment From Guest]

Have no idea what 'scrip-enabled' means. I update all Java as they push them out. I have not disabled anything.

11:26 Sonali Verma - Go to the Preferences option in Firefox. Pick Content. Then, check that Enable Javascript is checked.

11:27 Sonali Verma - This is from our Comments section, from a reader identifying themself as Top Level:



1. make the Company column wider so you can read the entire name (ie:especially ETF names).

2. decrease the width of columns such as Change Today (dollars and %'s) as the too-wide columns chew up too much space > perhaps allow a personal column width option.

3. make it easy to transfer holdings from one list to another, with the change out providing auto erase on the old list location.





11:28 Sonali Verma - Try the Build Your Own view, which is a little bit more compact, so you can see more data on the same screen.





11:29 Sonali Verma - There is an Import function that lets you pull an existing Stocklist or Fundlist into your Watchlist.



We are working on making it possible to copy a Watchlist at the click of a button as well.

11:29 [Comment From Joe]

Great job on the site. Will there be a bond section

11:30 Sonali Verma - Thanks for the suggestion! That's something we'll have to consider -- good to know that you're interested in that.

11:31 Sonali Verma - You can customize Build Your Own view so that it pulls several types of dividend data as well as volume.

11:31 Sonali Verma - (Sorry forgot to post the question there! Here it is:)

11:31 [Comment From Jo]

Okay, so I want a volume column in my dividends view -- how do I place it there from 'build your own view'? Thanks.

11:32 [Comment From Michael]

In the older system, in Fundlist, I could compare all my fund holdings in several ways. Now, in Watchlist, if I click on one fund, and then on a link to get these various criteria, I don't get all my funds, but only the fund I clicked and a page of other funds from its family

11:32 Sonali Verma - Hi, Michael. Jonathan tells me that the software team is working on making fund comparison functionality available in the future. Thanks for your feedback!

11:33 [Comment From Bill]

I have the same issue as Rob earlier in that I had been dragging columns over to build my own portfolio but can no longer do this....tried a number of times....Thks

11:33 Sonali Verma - Thanks for raising the issue.

11:35 Sonali Verma - We'll have to look into it. In the meantime, if you want a quicker resolution, email globeinvestor@globeandmail.com and they will help move the process forward faster by making it a priority.

11:35 [Comment From Guest]

The old stocklist shows daily highs and lows for stocks in my list as well as the daily volume. I don't see the daily highs and lows on Watchlist. Am I missing something or is that info not available.

11:35 Sonali Verma - You can set a one-day range as a column in the Build Your Own view.



You can also see the one-day range in the Overview view.

11:36 [Comment From Joe]

Is there a way of getting a full screen when you have customized your list instead of using the scroll bar as many people have larger screens we could detach the screen and make it a full screen.

11:36 Sonali Verma - Thanks for the suggestion, Joe. That's something we'll have to consider for the future -- glad to get your views on it.

11:36 [Comment From Ted]

I seem to have lost the delete button that used to be on the far right side of the Watchlist page. How do I get it back. Can you please help me?

11:37 Sonali Verma - Thanks, Ted. Which view are you using?

11:38 Sonali Verma - Perhaps you have zoomed in too far using the browser's zoom function. Try zooming out -- that should solve the problem.

11:38 [Comment From Jo]

how many stocks can I have on my watchlist?

11:38 Sonali Verma - It depends on your browser -- 50 to 100.

11:40 [Comment From Jo]

I really love that I can see ex-div and payout dates on all my stocks, so I know when to buy and when I'll get paid.

11:40 Sonali Verma - Yes, many of our readers are die-hard dividend investors and share your joy.

11:40 [Comment From Guest]

can you create a column with the highs and lows of the day?

11:42 Sonali Verma - Yes, it's called the 1D Range, as in one-day range.



You can see it in the Overview view and the Build Your Own view.



You simply need to click on the drop-down menu and pick 1D Range ( the other options are 5D and 52-Week).

11:42 [Comment From Jo]

Thanks for a great investing tool for us 'die-hards'.

11:42 [Comment From Ted]

That does it Sonali - thank you.

11:42 Sonali Verma - Always a pleasure.

11:43 [Comment From Guest]

Series clarification on stocks. often confusing on which one to pick

11:43 Sonali Verma - Could you please elaborate?

11:45 [Comment From Joe]

Where do you find the ex div payout dates

11:47 Sonali Verma - Go to the Dividends view. You'll find the Div Ex Date as well as the Div Pay Date. (If you let your mouse hover over either column, it shows you a detailed explanation of both.)

11:47 [Comment From Jo]

click on dividends in 'view'

11:48 [Comment From Guest]

Firefox>>Options>>Content>>JavaScrip allowed is already ticked.

11:48 Sonali Verma - We'll have to look into it. In the meantime, if you want a quicker resolution, emailglobeinvestor@globeandmail.com and they will help move the process forward faster by making it a priority.

11:51 [Comment From Guest]

why do some show they pay a div when they dont anymore. like ylo and there is others

11:53 Sonali Verma - Thanks for pointing that out.



We'd be grateful if you could send a list of any discrepancies in our data to globeinvestor@globeandmail.com -- which sends it to our data department. All your fellow investors will thank you as well, I'm sure.

11:56 [Comment From Joe]

Great job group

11:56 [Comment From Jo]

will I need to login to watchlist each time or can I just click on it like I do stocklist?

11:58 Sonali Verma - Once you have registered, you can log in and then click the Keep Me Logged In option so that you don't have to log in over and over again.

11:58 [Comment From Michael]

Does your system add new funds as they are introduced by the various fund companies and banks? It does not recognize a newer RBC Investment Savings Account. Thanks.

11:59 Sonali Verma - If a fund that you'd like to keep an eye on isn't available, drop us a line at globeinvestor@globeandmail.com and ask us to add it in.

12:02 Sonali Verma - Thank you for joining us and for all your questions.



If you have any Watchlist-related concerns, you can always email us at globeinvestor@globeandmail.com.



All the best,



Sonali.

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