The project threatens to break down the stranglehold on bulletin board stock commentary currently exercised by memberonly sites. A test site was launched in North America last week, and insiders said the project could be extended to Europe as soon as it has proved its worth.

Mutual fund managers and stockbrokers are keen to use the internet to reach private investors. In the past fortnight, Amazon opened its "financial store" selling investment products and advice from Fidelity.

In the interim, before Google Finance starts offering European news and information, Irish investors can still pick and choose investment and money tips from a number of useful non-subscriber websites. Among the more user-friendly sites out there for now are askaboutmoney. com, a personal finance discussion group; itsyourmoney. ie, the Financial Regulator's consumer education site; mabs. ie, which offers tips on managing debt problems; odca. ie, the website of the Director of Consumer Affairs; and safecard. ie, which offers security tips for the use of credit and debit cards.

Google Finance is trumpeting features that will allow users of the site to monitor their portfolio and get access to chief executives' pay details without wading through annual reports. It is the latest in a string of developments at Google, which is using its position as the world's most popular search engine to expand into new areas.

In the initial stages, there will be no advertising sold on the Google Finance site. "It is a very Google-esque project in that sense, " one insider said. "At the moment it is all about pulling together information that is out there but is often in a bit of a mess. Private investors are a growing part of the online world, and working out how to make money from the project will come later."

Google's shares have come under pressure as Wall Street frets about likely returns from the new ventures. Google's costs are set to grow more quickly than expected, and the company has suffered embarrassment for missing profit forecasts and releasing internal financial information by mistake.