Quotes and Exchange Rates Extension

Moneydance can automatically download price information for currencies and securities.

The Quotes and Exchange rate extension pulls data from the following sources:

  • Currencies - Alphavantage, and European Central Bank.

  • Securities - IEX Trading, Alphavantage, TD Ameritrade and Yahoo! Finance USA.

Using the Extension -

First, install the extension.
To do this, select Extensions > Manage Extensions.

Click the "Available" tab at the top of the window.
Then scroll down until you see "Quotes and Exchange Rates Updater".

Select "Install" on the right, the confirm you want to install the extension.

Once installed, open the extension.
To do this select the Extensions menu (again).
Then click on "Quotes and Exchange Rates" (below the Manage Extensions option).

This will open the extension window where you can configure your settings.

Extension Settings -

You can customise the Quotes and Exchange Rates settings as follows:

QandEextension_settings.png

Currency Exchange Rates
Choose to download currencies from Alphavantage, or European Central Bank.
If you don't want to download currencies, amend this field to "Do Not Update".

Security Prices
Choose IEX Trading, Alphavantage, TD Ameritrade, or Yahoo! Finance USA.
If you don't want to download security prices, amend this field to "Do Not Update".

Update Frequency
Choose the interval at which the extension will update rates and prices -
Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly.

Next Update
This field shows the date of the next scheduled update.
You can edit this field to schedule an update on a different date.

Only Show Securities that I Own
You'll find this setting at the bottom left of the extension window.
When enabled, the extension will only list securities that you have already associated with an account.

Testing the Extension -

You can test if quotes and price histories are available for the securities you select.
To do this, click the “Advanced” button (near the top right).
This will reveal a "Test" button at the bottom left of the window.

Select "Test" and wait a moment while Moneydance tests the updates.
The results will be displayed in the "Test Results" column (on the right of the security list).

If the test is able to download successfully, a green check mark will appear beside a current quote.

If the information is not available, you may see a red cross, and the reason will be displayed (e.g. the ticker symbol is incorrect, or the data is not accessible from the source you've selected).

Using the Extension -

Moneydance will update your prices and rates based on your chosen Update Frequency.

You can also update the prices manually by opening the extension window and clicking “Update Now” at the bottom left.

Or choose Extensions > Download Quotes and Exchange Rates Now.
 

Current exchange rates, security history, and current quotes will automatically be integrated into your Investment accounts.
To see this information, select the relevant Investment account and access the Securities Detail view.
Then amend the security you're viewing at the top right of the register.
 

You can also view the price and volume history of each of your securities.
To do this, access the Securities Detail view of your investment account.
Then look for the Security Functions and select "History".

Or choose Tools > Securities.
Then double-click on the relevant security name to view the history.

Using Alphavantage -

This is a free service that provides an API for people and apps to retrieve exchange rates and security prices.

To use Alphavantage, first make sure it's selected as the source for your currency rates and/or security prices.
Then select "Set API Key" just below this.
This will open a new window where you can enter the API key.

If you don't have a key yet, choose "Get Alphavantage API key".
This will open a web browser window and you'll be taken to the Alphavantage site.
Enter your details and choose "Get Free API Key".

Your key will be displayed just below this.

Then open Moneydance again and enter the key.
Then you can begin downloading your prices and rates from Alphavantage.

AlphavantageAPIkey.png