Finance and Economic News - Financial Times has it and more

Want the lowdown on the world of financial markets and news? The Financial Times is a daily guide to the world of finance and to the news and events that will be affecting financial markets throughout the world.

Published 308 times a year (daily except for a single weekend edition) as a daily newspaper, the Financial Times (FT) provides daily news about everything financial and everything else that affects the financial world (which is, just about everything). A recent issue contains everything from what was happening in the Iowa Caucuses to why Sweden was diplomatically reprimanding Israel.

The Details

With any publication that is produced 308 times a year, subscription prices are going to be quite high. The standard subscription price is $184 and can be found for around $80 on the discount sites on the Internet. I managed to get a free subscription by completing a survey and being a “professional” (Sunstreeks wrote an article about free magazines, but I am not sure if the links are still active, or if the free offers are still good – but that’s where I got the free subscription and if you can get, there’s no better deal than free). If you pick up a copy of FT on the newsstand, the price is $1 per issue in the United States. Outside of the

Delivered (at least to me) each morning in a little blue bag on my driveway, FT is printed on standard newsprint and is the size of an average newspaper. Smaller than a paper like the New York Times or the Boston Globe, but larger than the tabloid papers, FT is easy enough to open and read in somewhat cramped spaces like the subway. It is also filled with enough articles and stories to keep a reader occupied for quite some time.

Averaging 25 to 30 pages per issue (sometimes a bit more depending on the size of the sections – with each section about ), FT has financial news from the United States, Europe and the rest of the world. Broken down into two major sections (which makes reading and folding on the train easier). In addition to the news and major features in the first section, the second section takes a look at companies, and reviews the world markets, including the major stock indices, currencies, commodities and interest rates. There are also special features that while not regular, are included in some issues and include various in-depth review of topics such as corporate earnings, market trends and the like. The weekend issue includes a special weekend section that replaces the market news with stories on various topics that are not necessarily related to the financial world such as the arts, travel, homes and more.

Each issue is made up of several different departments that include: World News; Features; Arts; Comments; Companies; Global Invest; and Markets. These can change in each issue and the 1st section contains the world news, features, and comments, while the 2nd section contains the remaining departments. The special sections would contain additional information.

Written for people with an interest in the markets and the financial world, FT is still accessible to the average reader who lacks the detailed knowledge of economics and world finance that some other publications require.

The reader should be aware that this publication originates in England and therefore much of the advertising is geared towards an English and/or European audience. There are some American advertisements, but the reader would be well advised to pay attention closely to the addresses and phone numbers should they be interested in something. Probably the best bet is to visit the companies’ websites to determine if there are US addresses and phone numbers.

The Financial Times offers a website with some of the newspaper content, along with information on subscriptions, delivery and advertisements. The website address is http://www.ft.com.

Is it worth it?

While $184 dollars is a little steep for any subscription, even if it does comes everyday with reduced rates around $80 and even lower (if not free) rates available to people who qualify for them, the Financial Times is a reasonably priced daily newspaper that provides the reader with a straight-forward look at the news in the financial world. In addition, the Financial Times gives the reader enough information on non-finance news that it makes for an excellent morning newspaper to enjoy over coffee or to read on your commute into work.