Frequently asked questions

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Who uses QuoteStocker?

QuoteStocker is suitable for any novice or experienced investor who wants to use historical or current stock quotes in his technical analysis software. QuoteStocker is easy to use, but versatile in its features.

Is there a trial version of QuoteStocker?

Yes, you can. With QuoteStocker Free you can try QuoteStocker for two weeks. The only limitation is that you can only download a maximum of 30 stocks, funds, futures or indices. By trying QuoteStocker Free you will know exactly what you get when you get when you buy a license for QuoteStocker. With a license you can use QuoteStocker without limitations.

How much does it cost to download stock quotes?

Downloading stock quotes is free. You pay only once for a license for QuoteStocker.

What technical analysis software does QuoteStocker support?

QuoteStocker supports all technical analysis software packages that read or import files in the ASCII format. Currently, there are thirteen preset TA-packages to choose from, but you can also easily create your own custom format.

What does ASCII mean?

ASCII stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange and is a standard for representing text on computers and other devices. QuoteStocker uses this format to store its downloaded files. You can open and read the downloaded files with almost any text editor, including Windows Notepad.

Which exchanges can QuoteStocker download quotes from?

QuoteStocker can download quotes from any stock exchange that is in the Yahoo! database. That is dozens of exchanges. From AEX to Dow Jones. And from Toronto to Bombay. Take a look at the list of major world indices at Yahoo!.

Do I have to wait until the stock market closes before I can start with downloading?

No, you can download quotes 24 hours a day. Historical quotes are available at any time. If you download the latest quotes (‘Today’) while the market is still open, you’ll get the latest available intraday quotes. By using separate download lists for each exchange, you’ll have a good overview of what you’re downloading.

How do I add a new share to a download list?

This is very easy. Just look up the stock you want to add on the Yahoo! website and write down its code. For example, the code for the Dow Jones Industrial Average is ^DJI. In the main window of QuoteStocker click on the ‘Edit the download list‘ button and select the list you want to edit. Enter the code in the ‘Code text’ field and a suitable name in the ‘Name’ field. Click the ‘Add’ button and you are ready to start downloading quotes.

I have a technical analysis software package that is not in the QuoteStocker drop down list. Can I still use QuoteStocker?

Yes, it is very easy to make your own settings to match your technical analysis software package. In the settings window you can directly see the format in which the files are saved.

I want to download eight years of historical quotes, but I can only get two years of data. Why is this happening?

If you are sure that the quote is at least eight years old, there is a possibility that Yahoo! changed the code for this stock two years ago. In this case, you will need to find the old code, download the historical quotes using that code, and add that data to your existing data. Another possibility is that Yahoo! has only recently started storing quote data for this stock.

I want to download historical quotes, but I get a message that nothing is being downloaded. Why is that?

Historical stock quotes are not always available. Try to download data over a bigger time period. Often this succeeds.

I don’t have any technical analysis software yet. Can you recommend one?

There are many technical analysis software packages available. There is freeware like StockVisor to packages that cost hundreds of dollars. Often the more expensive packages have a paid subscription for quote data. With QuoteStocker you don’t have any recurring costs. You just pay once for a lifetime license and you are free to download what you want, when you want.

Sometimes I get an error that the mscomct2.ocx file is not registered correctly. What could be wrong?

Occasionally, users receive this error. It means that the Windows file mscomct2.ocx is not present on your PC. Since version 1.0.9 it is included in the QuoteStocker installation file. It will only be installed if it is not present on your PC.

Alternatively, you can download it from the Microsoft website or download it here and follow the instructions in the included file.

I am having problems with Yahoo cookies and nothing is downloading.

This cookie problem can sometimes be tricky. If QuoteStocker can’t solve it, you can try to delete the cookies manually. This is done as follows:

Shut down QuoteStocker;
Go to ‘Internet Options‘ from the Windows Start menu;
On the ‘General‘ tab you can delete the cookies under ‘History‘.

You can now use QuoteStocker again (but sometimes a 2nd cookie removal is necessary).
A complete shutdown and restart of the computer after the manual deletion can also help. The cookie problem can sometimes be very persistent. However, after some time QuoteStocker will be fine again.

While downloading, I suddenly get the error message “Too Many Requests”. How can I fix this?

Yahoo! is trying to limit the automatic downloading of quotes to reduce the load on their servers. QuoteStocker has built in a solution for this. For example, for large download lists, you can reduce the speed a bit. This is described in detail in the help section.