Specialist website TheBusinessDesk.com has launched a constantly-updated shares and markets service which is free to readers – claiming to be the first regional business media organisation to do so.

The online news provider has set up a shares and markets section on its website, providing live prices and reports from the London Stock Exchange and other similar financial institutions around the world.

It will include announcements, reports and regular market briefings throughout the day.

The front page of the site now includes a scrolling stocks ticker, giving constantly-updated prices for the main companies specific to each of TheBusinessDesk.com’s three regions.

Former Birmingham Post editor Marc Reeves, who is the business website’s West Midlands editor, said: “Up-to-the-minute information is the lifeblood of any business, and this new platform puts more of that vital data at the fingertips of our readers.

“This is a major investment by TheBusinessDesk.com in the service we offer to readers, but access to this and the rest of our site remains completely free.

“Since launching in the West Midlands in February, almost 7,000 people have registered to access the site and receive our email news bulletins and that figure is growing daily.

“I hope this new feature – and others we have in the pipeline – will continue to delight our readers.”

The website will include comprehensive company profiles with trading graphs, historical data and links to stories specific to each firm.