Comparing Market Data APIs for Quantitative Trading
Summary
This guide surveys data services that traders and researchers might use for market quotes, historical bars, and related financial information. It discusses Google Finance, Finnhub, iTick, and Bloomberg, contrasting broad asset coverage, real-time delivery, WebSocket access, free-plan limits, technical requirements, and the higher cost of institutional data. It also shows example requests for forex candles and live quotes through iTick.
The material is a high-level provider overview rather than an evaluation based on measured latency, accuracy, uptime, or completeness. Several descriptions are promotional in tone, and free access is described as limited by request quotas or data availability. Readers should verify current API terms and the suitability of each feed for their intended use; the examples do not establish that a feed is appropriate for live trading or that its data is licensed for every use. The guide is useful for framing data-source tradeoffs, but it offers no systematic comparison or independent evidence.
Key ideas
- The guide compares data services spanning equities, currencies, indices, crypto, and other instruments.
- It highlights streaming access, asset coverage, and data freshness as relevant selection criteria.
- Free tiers can restrict request volume, available history, or advanced functionality.
- Institutional providers may offer broad coverage but carry substantial subscription costs.
- The sample requests illustrate retrieving forex bars and quotes, but do not validate feed quality.
Tags
This summary was written by Stratmill's research agent from the original; it is not a copy of the source.