List of Securities API
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The universe endpoint returns the complete list of every security covered by the Business Quant API — equities, ETFs, and mutual funds — in a single unpaginated call. Use it to build local ticker-to-CIK maps, enumerate the full investable universe before screener runs, or resolve identifiers before querying other endpoints. The security_type filter lets you scope the response to one or more asset classes. The API is free to use.
Covers three security types:
https://data.businessquant.com/universe?api_key={api_key}
Typical workflow: Call this endpoint once to build a local ticker-to-CIK map, then use the CIK to query the Financial Statements API, SEC Filings API, or any other endpoint. For funds, use the seriesid returned here as the identifier when querying the Funds Profile API and Dividends API.
Universe API Capabilities
One call returns the complete universe — no pagination, no cursors. The full 35,000+ securities arrive as a single JSON payload ready to index locally or persist as a reference table.
Full Universe, One Call
Returns all 35,672 securities in a single unpaginated response. No offset loops, no cursor tokens — one request gets everything.
Filterable by Type
Pass security_type=Equity, Fund, or ETF — or comma-separate multiple values. Case-insensitive; the API normalizes input automatically.
Multi-Identifier Support
Every record carries ticker, cik, seriesid, and contractid — covering all identifier modes used across downstream endpoints in one place.
Sector & Industry Metadata
Equities include GICS-aligned sector and industry classifications for grouping and aggregations without a separate profile API call.
Display-Ready Names
Each record includes the listing exchange and a UI-ready name_short for dropdowns, autocomplete fields, and dashboard labels.
Server-side Caching
Responses are cached server-side for 24 hours — the dataset is pre-computed and served instantly even for the full unfiltered universe.
1. Request Parameters
Both parameters are passed as URL query strings. Only api_key is required — omitting security_type returns all security types in a single response.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| security_type |
Optional
Query Parameter
Filter by security type. Accepts a comma-separated list. Case-insensitive — equity, EQUITY, and Equity are treated identically.
Accepted values:
Equity, Fund, ETFDefault: All types returned when omitted
Examples:
security_type=Equity · security_type=Fund,ETF |
| api_key |
Required
Your API key for authentication.
Format:
api_key=YOUR_API_KEY |
Response: metadata Object
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| security_type_filter | The applied filter — the string "All" when no filter was passed, or an array of the requested types (e.g. ["Fund","ETF"]) when filtered. |
| total_records | Total count of securities in the data array for this request. |
Response: data Array Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| security_type | Asset class — one of Equity, ETF, or Fund. Sorted ascending by type, then by ticker, in every response. |
| ticker | Exchange ticker symbol. For mutual funds this may be a share-class ticker (e.g. VFIAX) rather than a tradeable market symbol. |
| cik | SEC Central Index Key — the canonical identifier used across all SEC EDGAR filings and accepted by most other Business Quant endpoints. |
| name | Full legal registered name as filed with the SEC. Use for compliance display or exact record-matching. |
| name_short | Condensed display name optimized for UI use — dropdowns, autocomplete, and search results. Typically 2–4 words. |
| sector | GICS-aligned sector classification. Populated for equities; empty string for ETFs and mutual funds. |
| industry | Industry sub-classification within the sector. Populated for equities; empty string for funds and ETFs. |
| exchange | Primary listing exchange (NYSE, NASDAQ, CBOE, etc.). Empty string for mutual funds that are not exchange-traded. |
| seriesid | SEC Series ID for mutual funds and ETFs (e.g. S000002561). Used as the identifier by the Funds Profile API and Dividends API fund mode. null for equities. |
| contractid | SEC Contract ID identifying a specific share class within a series. Populated for mutual funds; null for equities and most ETFs. |
curl -X GET "https://data.businessquant.com/universe?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY"
{
"metadata": {
"security_type_filter": "All",
"total_records": 35672
},
"data": [
{
"security_type": "Equity",
"ticker": "AAPL",
"cik": 320193,
"name": "Apple Inc.",
"name_short": "Apple",
"sector": "Technology",
"industry": "Consumer Electronics",
"exchange": "NASDAQ",
"seriesid": null,
"contractid": null
},
{
"security_type": "Equity",
"ticker": "MSFT",
"cik": 789019,
"name": "Microsoft Corporation",
"name_short": "Microsoft",
"sector": "Technology",
"industry": "Software - Infrastructure",
"exchange": "NASDAQ",
"seriesid": null,
"contractid": null
},
{
"security_type": "Equity",
"ticker": "JPM",
"cik": 19617,
"name": "JPMorgan Chase & Co.",
"name_short": "JPMorgan Chase",
"sector": "Financial Services",
"industry": "Banks - Diversified",
"exchange": "NYSE",
"seriesid": null,
"contractid": null
},
{
"security_type": "ETF",
"ticker": "SPY",
"cik": 884394,
"name": "SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust",
"name_short": "SPDR S&P 500",
"sector": "",
"industry": "",
"exchange": "NYSE",
"seriesid": "S000002945",
"contractid": null
},
{
"security_type": "ETF",
"ticker": "QQQ",
"cik": 1067839,
"name": "Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1",
"name_short": "Invesco QQQ",
"sector": "",
"industry": "",
"exchange": "NASDAQ",
"seriesid": "S000017919",
"contractid": null
},
{
"security_type": "Fund",
"ticker": "VFIAX",
"cik": 36405,
"name": "Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares",
"name_short": "Vanguard 500 Index",
"sector": "",
"industry": "",
"exchange": "",
"seriesid": "S000002561",
"contractid": "C000006570"
},
{
"security_type": "Fund",
"ticker": "FXAIX",
"cik": 315774,
"name": "Fidelity 500 Index Fund",
"name_short": "Fidelity 500 Index",
"sector": "",
"industry": "",
"exchange": "",
"seriesid": "S000032618",
"contractid": "C000100544"
}
]
}
2. Filtering by Security Type
Pass one or more values in security_type to narrow the response. The metadata.security_type_filter field in the response reflects the applied filter.
Equities Only
curl -X GET "https://data.businessquant.com/universe?security_type=Equity&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY"
{
"metadata": {
"security_type_filter": [
"Equity"
],
"total_records": 28941
},
"data": [
{
"security_type": "Equity",
"ticker": "A",
"cik": 1090872,
"name": "Agilent Technologies, Inc.",
"name_short": "Agilent Technologies",
"sector": "Healthcare",
"industry": "Diagnostics & Research",
"exchange": "NYSE",
"seriesid": null,
"contractid": null
},
{
"security_type": "Equity",
"ticker": "AA",
"cik": 1675149,
"name": "Alcoa Corp",
"name_short": "Alcoa",
"sector": "Basic Materials",
"industry": "Aluminum",
"exchange": "NYSE",
"seriesid": null,
"contractid": null
},
{
"security_type": "Equity",
"ticker": "AAPL",
"cik": 320193,
"name": "Apple Inc.",
"name_short": "Apple",
"sector": "Technology",
"industry": "Consumer Electronics",
"exchange": "NASDAQ",
"seriesid": null,
"contractid": null
}
]
}
Funds & ETFs Combined
curl -X GET "https://data.businessquant.com/universe?security_type=Fund,ETF&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY"
{
"metadata": {
"security_type_filter": [
"Fund",
"ETF"
],
"total_records": 6731
},
"data": [
{
"security_type": "ETF",
"ticker": "SPY",
"cik": 884394,
"name": "SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust",
"name_short": "SPDR S&P 500",
"sector": "",
"industry": "",
"exchange": "NYSE",
"seriesid": "S000002945",
"contractid": null
},
{
"security_type": "ETF",
"ticker": "QQQ",
"cik": 1067839,
"name": "Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1",
"name_short": "Invesco QQQ",
"sector": "",
"industry": "",
"exchange": "NASDAQ",
"seriesid": "S000017919",
"contractid": null
},
{
"security_type": "Fund",
"ticker": "VFIAX",
"cik": 36405,
"name": "Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares",
"name_short": "Vanguard 500 Index",
"sector": "",
"industry": "",
"exchange": "",
"seriesid": "S000002561",
"contractid": "C000006570"
}
]
}
3. Field Notes
name vs name_short
name is the full legal registered name as it appears in SEC filings — use it for compliance display or exact record matching. name_short is a condensed version optimized for UI display — use it in dropdowns, autocomplete results, and chart labels where space is constrained.
seriesid and contractid
Both fields are null for all equities. For mutual funds and ETFs, seriesid identifies the fund series (e.g. the Vanguard 500 Index Fund) and contractid identifies a specific share class within that series (e.g. Admiral Shares vs Investor Shares). The Funds Profile API and the fund mode of the Dividends API both accept seriesid as a query parameter.
cik — The Stable Cross-Endpoint Identifier
The SEC Central Index Key is the most stable identifier across the Business Quant API suite. Tickers change after mergers, rebrands, and exchange transfers — CIKs do not. If you are building a persistent data store, key your records on cik rather than ticker.
sector and industry for ETFs and Funds
Sector and industry fields are empty strings for ETFs and mutual funds — by definition, diversified funds span multiple sectors. For sector-specific ETFs, cross-reference the Funds Profile API which includes a full investment objective narrative.
API Response — Full Universe Sample
All security types · 7 records shown · 35,672 total in production
| Type | Ticker | CIK | Name | Name Short | Sector | Industry | Exchange | Series ID | Contract ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity | AAPL | 320193 | Apple Inc. | Apple | Technology | Consumer Electronics | NASDAQ | null | null |
| Equity | MSFT | 789019 | Microsoft Corporation | Microsoft | Technology | Software - Infrastructure | NASDAQ | null | null |
| Equity | JPM | 19617 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | JPMorgan Chase | Financial Services | Banks - Diversified | NYSE | null | null |
| ETF | SPY | 884394 | SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | SPDR S&P 500 | — | — | NYSE | S000002945 | null |
| ETF | QQQ | 1067839 | Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1 | Invesco QQQ | — | — | NASDAQ | S000017919 | null |
| Fund | VFIAX | 36405 | Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares | Vanguard 500 Index | — | — | — | S000002561 | C000006570 |
| Fund | FXAIX | 315774 | Fidelity 500 Index Fund | Fidelity 500 Index | — | — | — | S000032618 | C000100544 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the Universe API and the Stock Screener API?
The Universe API returns every security the API covers — it is a complete inventory list, not a filter. It includes equities, ETFs, and mutual funds with basic identifiers and classifications. The Stock Screener API is for filtering equities by fundamental metrics such as P/E ratio, revenue growth, and profit margins.
How often does the security universe change?
New IPOs, secondary listings, ETF launches, and delistings occur daily, but the bulk of the 35,000+ universe is stable week-to-week. The server-side response is cached for 24 hours.
Why is the sector field empty for ETFs and mutual funds?
By design — diversified funds invest across multiple sectors, so a single sector classification would be misleading. The Funds Profile API includes a full investment objective narrative for each fund.
Can I pass multiple values to security_type at once?
Yes. Pass a comma-separated list — for example, security_type=Fund,ETF — to receive both types in one response while excluding equities. The API normalizes case, so fund,etf and FUND,ETF are treated identically.
Is the List of Securities API free to use?
Yes, the API is free to use. Sign up for an API key and start enumerating the full security universe immediately — no credit card required.