Asset symbols
One canonical namespace, prefixed by asset class so identifiers never collide across categories.
Tickers and the universe
The unit and the population.
A ticker is one tradeable instrument: an equity (AAPL) or a cryptocurrency (X:BTCUSD). The universe is roughly 12,000 US-listed equities plus the top 75 cryptocurrencies by market cap.
The universe is “every ticker we track.” In our docs, “universe” is conceptual. It contrasts universe-shaped queries (which return a set of matching tickers, via /scan or webhooks) against ticker-scoped queries (which return data for a known ticker, via /tickers or /signals). It is not a parameter you pass; there are no named index lists. Filter by sector, market cap, or any other column via the WHERE clause.
The prefix table
We follow Polygon’s prefix convention where they have one; commodities use our own prefix.
| Asset class | Prefix | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Equity | (none) | AAPL, NVDA, SPY |
| Cryptocurrency | X: | X:BTCUSD, X:ETHUSD |
| Forex | C: | C:EURUSD, C:GBPJPY |
| Commodity | CMD: | CMD:GOLD, CMD:WTI |
No auto-resolution
Every parameter expects the canonical form.
The API doesn’t guess. Passing BTC to a stock endpoint returns the Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF — a real US-listed equity with that ticker — not bitcoin spot. If you want the cryptocurrency, ask for X:BTCUSD.
Symbols that collide
Watch for these when you’re building from user input.
BTC: Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF (equity) vsX:BTCUSD(bitcoin spot).GOLD: Barrick Gold Corp (equity) vsCMD:GOLD(gold spot).
Equities vs. crypto
Same response shape, different rhythm underneath.
Equity and crypto tickers go through the same endpoints with the same response shapes. The differences:
- Crypto tickers don't have
session_open,session_high,session_lowin the traditional sense; markets never close. We use the rolling 24-hour window instead. - Crypto tickers don't have most fundamentals (
pe_ratio,eps,dividend_yield). They havemarket_cap. - Crypto tickers don't have corporate-event flags (
earnings_this_week, etc.). These return asfalsefor crypto. - Crypto refresh cadence is 1 minute, 24/7. Equity refresh is 1 minute during 4 AM–8 PM ET, weekdays only. See Refresh cadence.