How can I download stock market information into Excel?

Question

I have some projects to work on for my finance courses and I would like to be able to have Excel automatically download stock market data instead of me looking it up online and inputting it. I would need historical price data for stocks going back into the past, preferably at least 5 years. How can I do that without paying for some program?

I know that money.msn.com will allow me to download some data into Excel, but it's not good enough. I need historical data.

Answer 1

finance.yahoo.com(for individual stocks)

If you are a stundet at a University, you might have access to the WRDS database. That is your best bet. Ask you school's librarian or library website.

Answer 2

You're going to love this.

Some website have fairly static webpages, with the HTML code being basically the same from day to day. One enterprising person noted that you can take this HTML, link it to Excel, and provided that the web-pages aren't revamped, you can download almost unlimited amount of financial information from various financial websites.

All you need to do is put an "add-in" in Excel in the correct folder. You then need to know the "codes", which are quite straight forward if you have intermediate computer "logic" skills. Just go to the following web-group:

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/smf_addin/

You then download the add-in. Follow the directions. You then download the excel template files and some "roadmaps" to various codes. One of the pre-built files is a historical price table.

I monkey with it for three days and now have about half the power of a Bloomberg machine. Very cool!

Of course, it's even better to go to the financial info machines themself (e.g. Bloomberg, Reuters). But those tend to have a bit steeper learning curve and aren't available in your house. There's nothing like getting financial data in your pajamas.

Answer 3

Why not begin by finding software products that already exist. Many give free trials. Perhaps you'll find that your ideas have already been incorporated into an existing product. What put forth the effort if you're potentially wasting your time - and you yourself can determine that.