Differences vs Ticker Fundamentals Import
This article compares two different ways of bringing listed company related data into Model Reef:
Google Finance / Yahoo style API imports
Stock Ticker fundamentals imports
You will learn:
What each method is designed for.
Which one to use for which use case.
How they can be combined inside one model.
Purpose of API based imports
Imports from Google Finance, Yahoo style or similar APIs are designed to bring in market and reference data, such as:
Prices and volumes.
Indices and benchmarks.
FX rates and yields.
They are best suited for:
Building drivers and modifiers.
Conditioning forecasts on market behaviour.
Running sensitivity and scenario analysis on external factors.
They do not directly create three statement models by themselves.
Purpose of ticker fundamentals imports
The Stock Ticker fundamentals import is designed to bring in full financial statement history for a listed company, including:
P&L lines.
Balance Sheet lines.
Cashflow statement components.
It is best suited for:
Building complete three statement models with history.
Running DCF or other valuation analyses.
Comparing listed peers on a fundamentals basis.
It does not provide intraday pricing or detailed market microstructure data.
Data structure differences
Key differences in data structure:
API imports
Typically provide single series per symbol (price, FX rate, index level).
Stored as driver style Data Library entries.
Used mainly in formulas and timing logic.
Ticker fundamentals imports
Provide many series per company (revenue, costs, assets, liabilities, etc.).
Stored as a set of fundamental Data Library entries.
Used to auto create variables and full financial statements.
As a result, fundamentals imports replace a large amount of manual setup, whereas API imports are lighter weight inputs to your existing model.
Behaviour in the model
With API imports, you decide:
Which variables reference the imported series.
How those series affect revenue, costs, capex or financing.
How they shape different scenarios.
With fundamentals imports, Model Reef automatically:
Creates a branch for the company.
Auto generates variables and categories.
Builds P&L, Balance Sheet and Cashflow statements.
Sets base case forecast and valuation assumptions.
You can then override or extend that logic, but you start from a complete model.
When to use which
Use ticker fundamentals imports when:
You need a working, statement level model for a listed company.
You are doing valuation or transaction analysis.
You want to compare companies on a fundamentals basis.
Use Google Finance / Yahoo style API imports when:
You need price, FX or index based drivers.
You want to stress test your model against market movements.
You need macro or benchmark series to feed regression or scenario logic.
You can also combine both in a single model, for example:
Use fundamentals to build the company's financial model.
Use API based price and index series as drivers for scenario and valuation overlays.
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