March 2021 Summaries

We launched our new data v2 in public beta at the end of February after launching v1 last May, allowing users to choose between using their existing Alpaca API keys with Polygon's data or upgrading to Alpaca's data v2. The change hasn't affected Alpaca data v1 and there are no plans to remove it. Alpaca's new data feed is sourced directly from SIP feeds, providing ultra low latency and high reliability, but initially had issues with packet loss that were quickly addressed by the community's feedback. The company has now backfilled 5 years of historical data, including trades, quotes, and bars for the period 2016-2020, but still has gaps in the 2021 data. Alpaca is also renaming its subscription plans to avoid confusion, with new names for the Basic and Pro plans. A one-month free beta extension is available for users who haven't yet subscribed.

Allowing everyone around the world to participate in an open and free market is Alpaca's ultimate goal. The company started by providing access to its Trading API for developers and traders in the United States, enabling them to build and run algorithms in real-world markets. Now, as part of a longer roadmap, Alpaca has announced that its trading APIs support fractional trading, allowing users to invest with as little as $1 worth of stock. Users can now pass notional or fractional quantity values through API requests, choosing between buying shares by dollar value or inputting a fractional amount of shares. The company's Fractional API is built in a compliant and approachable architecture, ensuring speed and reliability for algorithms. Alpaca plans to expand its coverage to include different order types, such as bracket orders and stop-loss orders, and increase the number of tradable shares beyond 2,000 equities and ETFs.