ASX Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find the ASX Indices?
In the “Indices” folder, directly under the “ASX” folder.

The default installation path for the ASX history is -
c:\Trading Data\Stocks\ASX
The “Indices” folder is located directly under the ASX folder -
c:\Trading Data\Stocks\ASX\Indices

Why don’t the Industry Group indices have a range?
The Industry Group indices are only calculated by Standard & Poors on an end-of-day basis.

Why are the index opens always equal to the previous close?
Even though indices like the S&P/ASX 200 are calculated in real-time, the index data made available by Standard & Poors to the ASX for end-of-day dissemination does not contain a figure for the open. Instead, the open is assumed to equal the previous close.

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There are 3 ways that index providers can account for the daily opening value of an index:
1.  By providing the first real-time value.
2.  By retrospectively calculating the open based on the opening price of each constituent.
3.  By assuming that the open is equal to the previous close.

Each method has its short-comings:
•  The “real-time” open ignores any constituents that don’t commence trading immediately. The ASX has staggered opens of groups of stocks from 10.00 am to 10.09 am, so the real-time open of the S&P/ASX 200 necessarily ignores a large number of the constituents.
•  The “calculated” open is an entirely artificial value that may exceed the real-time high of the day or fall beneath the real-time low.
•  The “unchanged” open fails to show any “gaps”.

Why are there stocks in the “Equities” folder that haven’t traded in more than a year?
We only remove stocks from the “Equities” folder after they have been delisted by the exchange. A stock that remains in the folder but hasn’t traded in a very long time is most probably under suspension. In that case, it may resume trading at any time (after a capital re-construction or as part of a “back-door listing”).

Your historical data shows a high (or a low) for a stock that never occurred in actual trading. Why is the data wrong?
Our ASX data is adjusted for capital events as per the official “dilution factors” issued daily by the exchange. These events are also factored into the calculation of the S&P/ASX indices.

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A capital event involves a change to the capital base of a stock. The easiest event to understand is a “share split”, where the number of shares on issue is increased by some factor – e.g. 2 for 1. In this instance, all historical prices before the split are divided by 2 in order to bring them into line with post-split prices. Were such an adjustment not made, a chart of the share price would show a collapse that never occurred.

Why can’t I see code “xxx” in my “All Ordinaries” Custom Folder?
The most likely explanation is that the code you’re looking for isn’t a constituent of the All Ordinaries Index. If you would like to have a Custom Folder that holds all fully paid ordinary shares, use the list called “ASX Fully Paid Ordinary”.