The "MetaStock" Data Format

The so-called "MetaStock" data format was developed from the earlier "Computrac" format which dates back to the early 1980s. It came to be colloquially known as the "MetaStock" format through its association with the popular MetaStock™ charting/analysis program.

http://www.metastock.com/company/about/.

Over time, other charting/analysis programs were developed so as to read this format, and independent data vendors used it to deliver data. The format became a de-facto industry standard.

In October 2012, version 12 of the MetaStock™ charting program (then owned by Thomson Reuters™) was released. This version no longer offered the ability to read "Local Data" supplied by independent vendors. Instead, it could only access data supplied through Reuters DataLink™. This situation also applied to MetaStock™ versions 13 and 14.

In 2013, MetaStock™ reverted to independent ownership. Subsequently, a decision was made to re-accommodate "Local Data" in MetaStock™ version 15. This version was released in November 2016.