Instrument Types

This reference documents all instrument-related types in the Trading API, including asset classes, symbol formats, and trading specifications.

Enums

AssetClass

The asset class categorizes the type of instrument being traded.

Value	Description
`STOCK`	Equities and stock instruments (e.g., AAPL, MSFT)
`FOREX`	Foreign exchange currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD, GBP/JPY)
`CRYPTO`	Cryptocurrency pairs (e.g., BTC/USD, ETH/USD)
`FUTURES`	Futures contracts

Symbol Format

Symbols use a canonical format that's consistent across all providers. The unified Trading API normalizes provider-specific formats automatically.

Format by Asset Class

Asset Class	Format	Examples
Stocks	Ticker symbol	`AAPL`, `MSFT`, `GOOGL`
Forex	Base/Quote	`EUR/USD`, `GBP/JPY`, `USD/CHF`
Crypto	Base/Quote	`BTC/USD`, `ETH/USD`, `SOL/USDT`
Futures	Contract code	`ES`, `NQ`, `CL`

Currency Pairs

For forex and crypto pairs, the format is BASE/QUOTE:

Base currency: The currency being bought or sold
Quote currency: The currency used to price the base

For example, in EUR/USD:

EUR is the base currency
USD is the quote currency
A price of 1.0850 means 1 EUR = 1.0850 USD

SymbolInfo Schema

Trading specifications for an instrument returned from the GET /symbol/{symbol} endpoint.

Required Fields

Field	Type	Description
`symbol`	string	Symbol in canonical format (e.g., "AAPL", "EUR/USD")
`asset_class`	AssetClass	Asset classification (`STOCK`, `FOREX`, `CRYPTO`, `FUTURES`)
`min_quantity`	string	Minimum order quantity in base units
`quantity_step`	string	Quantity step size (lot size)
`tradeable`	boolean	Whether the symbol is currently tradeable

Optional Fields

Field	Type	Description
`base_currency`	string	Base currency for pairs (e.g., "EUR" in EUR/USD)
`quote_currency`	string	Quote currency for pairs (e.g., "USD" in EUR/USD)
`min_price_increment`	string	Minimum price increment (tick size)
`max_quantity`	string	Maximum order quantity
`margin_requirement`	string	Initial margin as decimal (e.g., "0.10" for 10%)
`contract_size`	string	Contract size for derivatives (e.g., "100" for options)

Examples

Stock SymbolInfo

{
  "symbol": "AAPL",
  "asset_class": "STOCK",
  "min_quantity": "1",
  "quantity_step": "1",
  "tradeable": true,
  "min_price_increment": "0.01"
}

Forex SymbolInfo

{
  "symbol": "EUR/USD",
  "asset_class": "FOREX",
  "min_quantity": "1000",
  "quantity_step": "1000",
  "tradeable": true,
  "base_currency": "EUR",
  "quote_currency": "USD",
  "min_price_increment": "0.00001",
  "margin_requirement": "0.02"
}

Crypto SymbolInfo

{
  "symbol": "BTC/USD",
  "asset_class": "CRYPTO",
  "min_quantity": "0.0001",
  "quantity_step": "0.0001",
  "tradeable": true,
  "base_currency": "BTC",
  "quote_currency": "USD",
  "min_price_increment": "0.01",
  "max_quantity": "100"
}

Quantity and Price Constraints

When placing orders, ensure quantities and prices conform to the symbol's specifications:

Quantity: Must be >= min_quantity and divisible by quantity_step
Price: Must be divisible by min_price_increment (for limit orders)
Max quantity: If max_quantity is specified, order quantity must not exceed it

Example Validation

For EUR/USD with min_quantity: "1000" and quantity_step: "1000":

✅ 1000 - Valid (meets minimum, divisible by step)
✅ 5000 - Valid (divisible by step)
❌ 500 - Invalid (below minimum)
❌ 1500 - Invalid (not divisible by step)

Related Types

Order Types - Place orders using symbols
Position Types - Track holdings by symbol