CUSTOM FOLDERS

A "Custom Folder" is a physical folder that you can create on your machine to hold a specific group of stocks - for instance, the constituents of an index such as the S&P 500. When you create a Custom Folder, the relevant data files are copied from the "standard" US Stocks database. The Custom Folder is then updated as part of the database and is fully maintained with database maintenance actions.

Custom Folders are based on lists of symbols that are held in simple text files. Premium Data provides a large number of pre-generated lists that it keeps up to date. These lists provide index constituents, industry classifications and other useful criteria (some example lists are shown further below). Lists can also be invented by the user.

What is the point of a Custom Folder?

A Custom Folder allows you to draw together securities of interest that are located in different folders on your machine and have them in the one place for quick and convenient access. Some charting programs allow the easy creation of "virtual folders", or "Watch Lists", to achieve the same end - but they don't necessarily provide index or sector constituents or other criteria on which to base them. Other charting programs have difficulty "jumping" folders and can only provide preferred groupings in a clumsy way.

Please Note ...

Custom Folders are not meant to replace, or be an alternative to, your standard US Stocks database - they are just meant to provide a useful extension to it. Each Custom Folder adds size to the existing database and therefore adds a little extra to the time taken to complete a daily update. If you create a large number of Custom Folders, you will slow your update significantly.

Some examples of pre-generated lists for Custom Folders.

Index Constituents

Dow Jones Averages

Nasdaq Indices

Russell Indices

S&P Indices

Cboe Optionable Stocks

Security Types

Other useful lists