Capital IQ

Capital IQ is a division of Standard & Poor's that provides finanical information and analysis on companies.

Expanded Definition

Capital IQ is a biggie in the realm of assisting investors. It has some 2,700 clients and a goal of being "the world's leading provider of financial and business information solutions."

According to its website, Capital IQ covers:

• 58,000 public companies
• 1,550,000 private companies
• 14,000 private equity firms
• 1,936,000 executives, board directors, and investment professionals
• 234,000 M&A transactions
• 235,000 rated securities

It provides up to 2,000 "financial and supplemental data points per company."