Market Data

Market data is real-time or historical information about financial instruments - stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, commodities - including prices, trading volumes, dividends, corporate actions, and performance metrics.

Market data is produced by exchanges and distributed through data vendors and APIs. Real-time market data reflects trades as they happen; historical market data is the archive of prices, volumes, and events going back years or decades.

Access to quality market data was historically a privilege of large financial institutions. APIs that surface market data make it accessible to independent developers, fintech startups, and retail investment platforms. The Morningstar API provides one of the most comprehensive market data sets available through a developer-friendly API.