Symbols
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Once your desired "Market Type" is chosen, you may select the individual commodities, stocks or other time series to go into this portfolio or chart. If multiple selections are to be handled in exactly the same way, you may add them together here.

It is important to understand that all time series that are added as a group receive exactly the same handling through UA. For example, you could type the symbols for all desired stocks that will go into a specific portfolio, all of which are to be written to the same export-format files. Or you could type a list of all commodity symbols for which you want the same type of detrended back-adjusted contracts to be stored in the same export-format files. However, if some contracts are to be written to ASCII files, and others are to be the CSI format, then they should not be selected together here. If some are to be back-adjusted and some are to be nearest-futures, they could not be selected together.

Enter Symbols


If you know the symbols of the series you want to add, you may type them into the "Symbols" box. The symbols entered must match the selected "Market Type" and must be separated by a comma and a space (or comma or space) as shown in the example below. This is a request for corn, wheat, live cattle, T-Bond, Swiss Franc, dollar index and Japanese Yen futures:

symbols


Choosing Markets from List (optional)

If you prefer, you may choose markets from a list by clicking the [Mkts] button. The CSI factsheet that corresponds to the selected "Market Type" displays. The example below is for commodities:

selectmkt


Note: The "Choose Market From Market Spec List" setting on the "General UA Behavior 2" tab under UA Preferences - Account can be selected to automatically display the factsheet whenever you select markets.

To choose from the list, click the box under the "Se" (select) heading for each market you wish to add. If you prefer to see the full heading or content of a column instead of the abbreviated form shown here, click the heading to adjust the column size.

The following features of this screen may help you in your selection:

The Sort Order determines how the list will be constructed. The above example shows a sort by CSI Number. Other options include: Name, symbol, exchange, pricing unit and many others. Click the down arrow for a complete list (scroll to the bottom to see all choices), and then click your choice. If you prefer, you can change the sort order by clicking the heading at the top of the desired sorting column.

If you know the CSI number, symbol, name, or whatever is selected under "Sort Order," you can go directly to that market by typing the appropriate entry into the "Locate" box. If you aren't sure of these values, you can simply use the scroll arrows to locate the first market you wish to add to your portfolio or chart. Click [OK] when you are finished selecting from the list.

The Limit to Market Type box at the upper right will further classify the data to ease the selection process. Click the arrow at the right to view all possible market categories and make your selection.

Use the [Advanced Search] button at the bottom of the screen for help finding illusive markets. Clicking it displays a text box for entering the desired symbol and a list of all possible exchanges. Enter the symbol, click on the appropriate exchange, and then click [Find]. A list of matching symbols will display, from which you may select the one you want. Upon making your choice, the factsheet will re-display showing your found market. If no matches are found, you are instructed to try again.

When the desired markets have been selected, click [OK] to proceed.

You will then have the opportunity to specify your preference for several additional settings on the Market Selection screen. These include:

·Contract Months to Include  
·Date Range  
·Export Options  
·Periodicity  
·Detrend Method  
·Inversion  
·Custom Studies  
·Contract Selection  

You'll finish identifying the contract specifications for one market or group of markets before repeating the procedure for the next group of markets to be handled in a like manner.

When all of the above settings have been selected to your satisfaction, click [OK] to create the portfolio or chart.

Footnotes


The box below the commodity or stock list (empty in above example) shows footnotes from the Market Specs factsheets. This is important information regarding anything from changes in contract specifications to non-trading days or other factors that may be relevant to your analysis. Footnotes are conveniently displayed at this time to avoid confusion or concern later. Please take a moment to read them. Additional information is available through the Database Menu's "Facts and Events" screens.