Note: The information in this blog is for educational purposes only and should not be used or construed as financial or investment advice by any individual. Information obtained from third parties is believed to be reliable, but no representations or warranty, expressed or implied, is made by Questrade, Inc., its affiliates or any other person to its accuracy.
Lesson How to work with market data
Real-time market data streaming packages
Learn how our affordable, customizable real-time data can help you get the up-to-the-second information you need to execute your trading strategy.
We’re always looking to deliver an easy, inexpensive, and transparent trading experience for our customers. One of the ways we do so is by providing free snap quotes that show real-time bid/ask/last prices on demand for major North American exchanges. This includes the TSX, NYSE, NASDAQ, and OPRA, all available on our Questrade Trading and QuestMobile platforms.
For those interested in getting into more advanced trading, our free market data package includes real-time level 1 streaming data for TSX and TSXV, plus CBOE One Summary (providing limited level 1 data for U.S. stocks and ETFs listed on AMEX, NASDAQ, NYSE, ARCA, and BATS exchanges), all streaming on our Edge platforms.
However, if you’re an active trader who needs an in-depth view of the markets, we’ve got you covered. You can subscribe to additional paid level 1 & 2 data to receive real-time information on specific exchange prices, time & sales, order book depth, and more. You can choose from one of our market data packages or from individual add-ons.
What’s the difference between data levels?
For most markets, there are 3 levels of data available:
Snap quote: shows the current ask size, bid size, and last price when the quote is loaded. Market prices change constantly, and snap quotes do not automatically update, so you will need to click the snap quote button (or reload the screen on QuestMobile) to update the quote.
Level 1: shows real-time bid, ask, and last prices for securities trading on a stock exchange. Unlike snap quotes, real-time level 1 data updates automatically, giving you to-the-second updates without having to click or reload. Level 1 quotes provide “top of book” data, which refers to the execution price of the last trade and the best current bid/ask. This is usually enough for the average investor. There may be limitations if the data is sourced through CBOE One Summary instead of directly sourced from the individual exchanges. Level 1 streaming data will only display on Questrade Edge platforms.
Level 2: shows the full picture of what’s happening for exchange listed securities. You get access to markets’ bid/ask prices at multiple levels in the order book, giving you information about trade volumes, liquidity, and more. Level 2 streaming data will only display on Questrade Edge platforms.
To learn more about the data levels see our Basics of Market Data article, or follow the links to learn more about reading level 1 and level 2 data.
How to sign up for market data packages
If you’re interested in signing up for market data, log in to Questrade and from the top navigation select Account Management > Market Data. In this section, you’ll see the current market data package you are subscribed to (the default is the Free package). Each package lists the markets for which it provides coverage.
If you want to subscribe to a different market data package, it's as simple as clicking the new market data package. Your market data will start streaming the next time you log in, and your new commission plan structure will take effect the next business day. If you are downgrading your market data package, you will keep your current data for the remainder of the month and step down to the new package at the start of the next billing cycle.
Please note: New data packages will not activate on mobile platforms until the following day.
Market data packages are billed at the beginning of each month and are not prorated based on when you subscribe during the month. Therefore if you subscribe halfway through the month, you will pay the full amount. You may wish to consider the option to start your subscription at the beginning of the next billing cycle.
In addition, level 2 market data is only visible through the Questrade Edge platforms. See Learn more about enabling Questrade Edge.
Available market data packages
At Questrade, we offer several market data packages. Click the accordion to learn more about each:
With our standard free snap quotes, you gain access to:
- Free snap quotes for all listed exchanges through Questrade Trading and the QuestMobile app
- Full real-time, streaming level 1 data for stocks listed on TSX and TSXV, accessible through the Questrade Edge platforms
- Real-time, streaming level 1 data provided by CBOE One Summary for stocks listed on AMEX, NASDAQ NYSE, ARCA, and BATS accessible through the Questrade Edge platforms
- Real-time index quotes for TSX indices and TSXV indices, plus delayed S&P indices, Dow Jones Indices, and Russell indices
With our real-time streaming package, you get all the market data in the free data package, plus:
- Full AMEX level 1
- Full NASDAQ level 1
- Full NYSE level 1
- Full ARCA level 1
- Full NEO level 1
- OPRA level 1
- Real-time index quotes for TSX indices and TSXV indices, plus delayed S&P indices, Dow Jones indices, and Russell indices.
With our advanced streaming package, you get all the market data in the real-time streaming package, plus:
- NASDAQ TotalView L2
- OPRA L2
- TSX Marketbook (Market by Price)
- S&P Indices
If a paid market data package doesn’t quite suit your needs, you can choose from individual Canadian or U.S. data add-ons.
Please note that market data packages are charged in the currency of the exchange.
Indices:
| Market index data | Price (USD monthly) |
|---|---|
| S&P Indices | $1.99 |
| Dow Jones indices | $1.99 |
| Russell Indices | $1.99 |
Canadian individual data add-ons:
| Canadian exchanges | Price (CAD monthly) |
|---|---|
| Alternative Trading Systems (ATSs) level 1 | $8.95 |
| Alternative Trading Systems (ATSs) level 2 | $49.95 |
| Canadian Securities Exchange level 1 | $1.95 |
| Canadian Securities Exchange level 2 | $4.95 |
| Toronto Stock Exchange market by price | $12.95 |
| Toronto Stock Exchange level 2 | $32.95 |
| TSX Venture Exchange market by price | $44.95 |
| TSX Venture Exchange level 2 | $54.95 |
| Montreal Exchange level 1 | $11.95 |
| Montreal Exchange level 2 | $15.95 |
| NEO level 1 | $1.95 |
| NEO level 2 | $44.95 |
U.S. individual data add-ons:
| U.S. exchanges | Price (USD monthly) |
|---|---|
| AMEX level 1 | $2.95 |
| AMEX OpenBook level 2 | $14.95 |
| ARCA level 1 | $2.95 |
| ARCABook level 2 (includes BATS and Direct Edge) | $11.95 |
| NASDAQ level 1 | $2.95 |
| NASDAQ level 2 (includes OTC bulletin board level 2) | $19.95 |
| NASDAQ TotalView | $24.95 |
| NYSE level 1 | $2.99 |
| NYSE level 2 | $19.95 |
| NYSE Arca ArcaBook (includes BATS and Direct Edge level 2) | $11.95 |
| Options Price Reporting Authority (OPRA) level 1 | $2.95 |
| Options Price Reporting Authority (OPRA) level 2 | $11.95 |
| Pink OTC market level 1 | $6.95 |
| Pink OTC market level 2 | $17.95 |
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