Premium Data supplies data in the "MetaStock" data format. This format was originally known as the "Computrac" format and is currently also known as the "MetaStock legacy" format.

At one time, the MetaStock format was a de facto industry standard for desktop charting/analysis applications. Nowadays, some can only work with their own data, but many can still read ASCII or MetaStock format data. We provide guides for a few of these that are popular with our subscribers.

If you own a different charting/analysis application and are interested in getting data from us, check with the application vendor as to whether it can read MetaStock format data. Some applications could in the past but were subsequently modified so as to only read data in their own format. This typically occurs when a data vendor buys the rights to an application so as to lock out other data vendors.

Also, if the application can read MetaStock format data, check as to whether it can read the most recent version of the format. The format has changed over the years to expand the number of data files allowed in any single data folder - from 255 to 2,000 to 6,000. Some older applications can read the MetaStock format, but that ability was never upgraded and they are stuck if a data folder contains more than 255 securities.

If your application can work with ASCII/csv format data, our Premium Data Converter utility allows you to convert the MetaStock format data held on your machine to ASCII/CSV format.