Yahoo Quotes, Alpaca Markets, and CoinMarketCap in StockTracker

StockTracker stores portfolio information locally, but current quotes come from external market-data providers. The app supports Yahoo Quotes and Alpaca Markets for stocks, and CoinMarketCap for crypto positions.

The providers do not all return the same information. The most important differences are whether credentials are required, which assets are supported, and whether dividend dates are supplied.

Yahoo Quotes

Yahoo Quotes is the simplest stock-quote setup because it does not require an API key. It can provide stock prices and, when available from Yahoo, dividend dates and related information.

Yahoo access can occasionally fail outside StockTracker's control. If quote requests stop working, checking the provider settings or switching to Alpaca Markets may be a practical troubleshooting step.

Alpaca Markets

Alpaca Markets is an authenticated stock-data option. It requires an Alpaca API key and secret supplied by the user. It can update stock prices and previous-close values, but it does not provide dividend dates.

That distinction matters if dividend payment timing is central to your workflow. You can use Alpaca for price refreshes while maintaining dividend details separately in the portfolio.

CoinMarketCap

CoinMarketCap is used for crypto positions. It requires a CoinMarketCap API key and updates crypto prices separately from the selected stock quote provider.

Changing the stock quote provider does not replace the crypto provider. If a portfolio contains both stocks and crypto, configure the relevant provider for each type of position.

Choosing a provider

• Choose Yahoo Quotes when you want the easiest stock setup without provider credentials.
• Choose Alpaca Markets when you already have Alpaca credentials or prefer its authenticated stock-data workflow.
• Use CoinMarketCap for crypto quote updates, with your own API key.

This is a workflow choice, not a guarantee that one provider will always be available or better for every user. Provider availability, response data, and service terms can change.

Configure and test the provider

1. Open Settings > Quote Providers in StockTracker.
2. Review the provider descriptions and choose the source for the asset type you want to refresh.
3. Enter credentials when the selected provider requires them.
4. Select Save, then use Check to send a live test request.
5. Return to the main window and select Fetch, or press F5.

Internet access is required for the live provider test and for quote refreshes. The saved portfolio itself remains on the local computer. Provider credentials are stored encrypted on the device, and saved secret values are not shown again after saving.

What provider changes do not change

Changing quote providers does not change saved shares, purchase prices, cost basis, or saved dividend amounts. It affects future quote refreshes and any provider-supplied information that StockTracker receives.

Review the portfolio after changing providers, especially if current prices, previous close values, or dividend dates appear different from what you expected.

• Read the market-data documentation
• Keep dividend information current
• Return to the StockTracker landing page