Beginning with eSignal 7.7, we introduced a true symbol search engine. This allows users to search by symbol, keywords or CUSIP. You can also narrow down a search by using a combination filter, such as being able to retrieve a list by exchange or search by instrument type (futures, options, stocks, etc.). This article will introduce this tool to you and show you how to find and use it.

Figure 1: Icon on the main eSignal toolbar for launching the Symbol Search tool

The Symbol Search Engine is using a symbol database that's created by accessing data directly from the eSignal data feed, so it’s accurate at all times and includes new symbols as they become available to users. The database is also cleaned regularly to eliminate symbols that are no longer trading.

This tool can be launched as a window type of its own, allowing you to make it part of your page, pop it out as a stand alone window, as well as link it to other windows.

How to Use the Search Engine
eSignal's symbol search allows subscribers to search by symbols, by a keyword in the name or by CUSIP number. Figure 2 displays the window with a sample search. You start by selecting one of the radial buttons on the left to determine the type of search you’re doing. Then, type your keyword or partial symbol in the search field and click on Search. Your results will be displayed in the main part of the window, along with a number at the bottom of the window to let you know how many search results were found. 


Figure 2: Sample search looking for U.S. stocks beginning with the word Global

If there are too many results for your search, you can use one or more of the filters to narrow it down. The exchange filter allows you to pick a specific exchange or to look within a group of regionally similar exchanges. You can select an exchange from a drop-down list. This list represents all the exchanges available to an eSignal user, and it’s dynamically updated so that new exchanges can be added as soon as they’re added to the feed. There’s also an instrument filter to allow you to narrow down the search based on stocks, futures, indices, and so on. Searching for a futures contract is a good example. You may want to limit the search to futures only, so you don’t get future options in your results.

Figure 3: Filters-Only search looking for all CBOE future contracts

Wild about Wildcards (*)
In Figure 2, a wildcard (*) was used. This allows a user a little more freedom with the way a search is conducted. If you type a word, symbol or partial text, the search engine will add a wildcard before and after your entry. This will allow you to get results where your entry is found anywhere within the symbol or name (depending on the search type). If you enter text and add a wildcard in the final position, only results that start with the text will be found.

As an example, using BANK* will give you Bank of America, but not Citibank. If you start your search text with a wildcard, all results will end with your text. As an example, using *HOME will give you KB Home, but not Home Depot.  Wildcards can save you a lot of search time, as well as give you a shorter results list.

In the End
What do you do with your results? It depends on the type of search you’ve done, but you have many options. The results window is a separate window type within eSignal, and it inherited the abilities of the other eSignal windows. 

The most useful function is linking. If you were looking for a symbol that someone told you about, but weren’t completely sure which of the results was the correct one, you could link the search window to a fundamental window.  Then, you could click on each result to see more details until you found the symbol that fit the correct description.

You may also be looking for the best futures contract to pick up. In that case, you could do a filtered search on the CME and get a series of contracts. The results could be linked to a chart, so you could click on each one to see analytical studies to determine the best contract to buy.

Being able to pop out the window or save it in a page can also be useful if you want to make use of searches on a regular basis. For more details on the use of pop-out windows, see last month’s eSignal Central article that describes them in depth. You may find out that conducting symbol searches gives you one more tool to help you find the best investment you can. 

Don’t be afraid to poke around and find some things that you may have never considered.  Use this in conjunction with other windows and resources to expand your symbol universe and become a more well-rounded trader.