Stock Data Types searches are Unwieldy

Trying to find the exact instrument you care about is an exasperating experience. You type in what you think it is, select Data Types | Stocks and it either reports something wrong or finds nothing. Then on the Data Selector pane, you type in all permutations you can think of and still comes up craps!

Just try to find certain indexes or commodities and the annoyance will become apparent. I managed to get some of them, but failed utterly for others.

Here in OneDrive I put a file that contains these commodities and indexes. Download it or even use it in Excel on the Web. That way you can just copy the symbols I have discovered without having to type them in and then gamble with the results.

It's there because copying the sheet below here in the Forum and then pasting into Excel does NOT enable the Data Types. When new data becomes available, I will be sure to update the file. I encourage anyone who has found the tough symbols to let me know and I will update this file.

For stocks, it helps to type in the exchange and then the symbol. For example a TSX stock is easily found by typing this: XTSE:CNQ That will get you Canadian Natural Resources on the TSX. Just typing CNQ will get you CNQ on the foreign exchange, the NYSE, where it is interlisted. The exchange codes are all listed in the MS help article.

Some of these instruments don't pop up when you type in what I have suggested in the Table. You will have to open up the Data Selector and then scroll through the list, or you will have to erase what is in the Search box inside the Data Selector, type in my suggestion and then scroll through the list.

I hope I've helped at least one frustrated person.