DocsMarkets and metrics
Market data sources
Where each of the 20 market prices comes from, how often it updates, and what more data keys would change.
Figures on this page are read from this server's own settings and data when the page loads.Staple shows the latest price for each of its 20 commodity markets. Every price is real and comes from a named source with its own date. Sources differ: some are live while their exchange is open, others publish once a day or once a month, and the page always says which.
Coverage right now
How the 20 markets are covered on this server at this moment, by how often their current source updates:
Market prices are real on every network, the simulated one included. None of them is ever filled in or guessed.
Market by market
For each market: its state now, the source it is using, and how coverage changes with more data keys. "Free key" means the free USDA My Market News key; "best" needs paid keys.
- GoldUSD / troy ozMarket closed
gold-api.com · gold spot (unofficial, sources not named)
No keys:LiveFree key:LiveBest:Live1 data key would change this market
GOLD_API_KEY(free): Daily price history for the chart (gold-api.com account)
- SilverUSD / troy ozMarket closed
gold-api.com · silver spot (unofficial, sources not named)
No keys:LiveFree key:LiveBest:Live1 data key would change this market
GOLD_API_KEY(free): Daily price history for the chart (gold-api.com account)
US EIA via FRED · WTI spot, daily
No keys:DailyFree key:DailyBest:Live2 data keys would change this market
PYTH_API_KEY(paid): Live price: WTI crude, constant 1-month maturity indexAPI_NINJAS_KEY(paid): Daily price on the free evaluation plan, live on paid plans: NYMEX WTI crude futures
US EIA via FRED · Henry Hub spot, daily
No keys:DailyFree key:DailyBest:Live2 data keys would change this market
PYTH_API_KEY(paid): Live price: Henry Hub natural gas, constant 1-month maturity indexAPI_NINJAS_KEY(paid): Daily price on the free evaluation plan, live on paid plans: NYMEX Henry Hub natural gas futures
- CopperUSD / lbMarket closed
gold-api.com · copper (unofficial, sources not named)
No keys:LiveFree key:LiveBest:Live1 data key would change this market
GOLD_API_KEY(free): Daily price history for the chart (gold-api.com account)
- PlatinumUSD / troy ozMarket closed
gold-api.com · platinum spot (unofficial, sources not named)
No keys:LiveFree key:LiveBest:Live1 data key would change this market
GOLD_API_KEY(free): Daily price history for the chart (gold-api.com account)
- PalladiumUSD / troy ozMarket closed
gold-api.com · palladium spot (unofficial, sources not named)
No keys:LiveFree key:LiveBest:Live1 data key would change this market
GOLD_API_KEY(free): Daily price history for the chart (gold-api.com account)
- CoffeeUSD / lbMonthly average
IMF primary commodity prices · monthly average
No keys:Monthly averageFree key:Monthly averageBest:Live2 data keys would change this market
PYTH_API_KEY(paid): Live price: ICE arabica coffee futures, front contractAPI_NINJAS_KEY(paid): Daily price on the free evaluation plan, live on paid plans: ICE arabica coffee futures
- CocoaUSD / tonneMonthly average
IMF primary commodity prices · monthly average
No keys:Monthly averageFree key:Monthly averageBest:Live2 data keys would change this market
PYTH_API_KEY(paid): Live price: ICE cocoa futures, front contractAPI_NINJAS_KEY(paid): Daily price on the free evaluation plan, live on paid plans: ICE cocoa futures
- SugarUSD / lbMonthly average
IMF primary commodity prices · monthly average
No keys:Monthly averageFree key:Monthly averageBest:Live2 data keys would change this market
PYTH_API_KEY(paid): Live price: ICE raw sugar No.11 futures, front contractAPI_NINJAS_KEY(paid): Daily price on the free evaluation plan, live on paid plans: ICE raw sugar No.11 futures
- WheatUSD / bushelMonthly average
IMF primary commodity prices · KC hard red winter wheat, monthly average
No keys:Monthly averageFree key:DailyBest:Live3 data keys would change this market
USDA_MARS_API_KEY(free): Daily price: CBOT wheat settlement, front contract (Minneapolis Daily Grain Report)PYTH_API_KEY(paid): Live price: CBOT wheat futures, front contract (Pyth beta feed)API_NINJAS_KEY(paid): Daily price on the free evaluation plan, live on paid plans: CBOT wheat futures
- CornUSD / bushelMonthly average
IMF primary commodity prices · US Gulf corn, monthly average
No keys:Monthly averageFree key:DailyBest:Live3 data keys would change this market
USDA_MARS_API_KEY(free): Daily price: CBOT corn settlement, front contract (Minneapolis Daily Grain Report)PYTH_API_KEY(paid): Live price: CBOT corn futures, front contract (Pyth beta feed)API_NINJAS_KEY(paid): Daily price on the free evaluation plan, live on paid plans: CBOT corn futures
- SoybeansUSD / bushelMonthly average
IMF primary commodity prices · monthly average
No keys:Monthly averageFree key:DailyBest:Live3 data keys would change this market
USDA_MARS_API_KEY(free): Daily price: CBOT soybean settlement, front contract (Minneapolis Daily Grain Report)PYTH_API_KEY(paid): Live price: CBOT soybean futures, front contract (Pyth beta feed)API_NINJAS_KEY(paid): Daily price on the free evaluation plan, live on paid plans: CBOT soybean futures
- CottonUSD / lbMonthly average
IMF primary commodity prices · Cotlook A index, monthly average
No keys:Monthly averageFree key:DailyBest:Live2 data keys would change this market
USDA_MARS_API_KEY(free): Daily price: ICE cotton No.2 settlement, front contract (Daily Spot Cotton Quotations)API_NINJAS_KEY(paid): Daily price on the free evaluation plan, live on paid plans: ICE cotton No.2 futures
- RiceUSD / tonneMonthly average
IMF primary commodity prices · Thai 5% rice export price, monthly average
No keys:Monthly averageFree key:WeeklyBest:Live2 data keys would change this market
USDA_MARS_API_KEY(free): Weekly price: US long-grain white milled rice, Arkansas (National Weekly Rice Summary)API_NINJAS_KEY(paid): Daily price on the free evaluation plan, live on paid plans: CBOT rough rice futures
- OatsUSD / bushelMonthly average
IMF primary commodity prices · CBOT oats, monthly average
No keys:Monthly averageFree key:DailyBest:Live2 data keys would change this market
USDA_MARS_API_KEY(free): Daily price: CBOT oats settlement, front contract (Minneapolis Daily Grain Report)API_NINJAS_KEY(paid): Daily price on the free evaluation plan, live on paid plans: CBOT oat futures
- Orange juiceUSD / lbMonthly average
IMF primary commodity prices · ICE orange juice futures, monthly average
No keys:Monthly averageFree key:Monthly averageBest:Live1 data key would change this market
API_NINJAS_KEY(paid): Daily price on the free evaluation plan, live on paid plans: ICE frozen concentrated orange juice futures
- EggsUSD / dozenMonthly average
US BLS average retail price, monthly
No keys:Monthly averageFree key:DailyBest:Daily1 data key would change this market
USDA_MARS_API_KEY(free): Daily price: USDA national shell egg index: caged, graded loose, white, large, wholesale FOB, 5-day rolling average
- Live cattleUSD / cwtDaily
USDA 5-area cash cattle, daily weighted average
No keys:DailyFree key:DailyBest:Live2 data keys would change this market
PYTH_API_KEY(paid): Live price: CME live cattle futures, front contract (Pyth beta feed)API_NINJAS_KEY(paid): Daily price on the free evaluation plan, live on paid plans: CME live cattle futures
- LumberUSD / 1,000 board ftNeeds a data key
US BLS producer price index via FRED · softwood lumber, monthly
No keys:Needs a data keyFree key:Needs a data keyBest:Live1 data key would change this market
API_NINJAS_KEY(paid): Daily price on the free evaluation plan, live on paid plans: CME lumber futures
The sources
Staple can use these sources, each through its published interface. The ones that need a key are only used once the key is set. Official sources are government agencies or data publishers; gold-api.com is an unofficial aggregate and is labelled that way wherever it appears.
- Pyth NetworkNot in use on this serverOfficial
Source: Pyth Network
Needs
PYTH_API_KEY· Paid.Source documentation (opens in a new tab) - Gold API (gold-api.com)In use nowUnofficial
Source: gold-api.com (unofficial aggregate)
Optional key
GOLD_API_KEYSource documentation (opens in a new tab) - FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. LouisIn use nowOfficial
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration via FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Optional key
FRED_API_KEYSource documentation (opens in a new tab) - IMF Primary Commodity Prices (PCPS)In use nowOfficial
Source: IMF Primary Commodity Prices
No key needed.Source documentation (opens in a new tab)
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Public Data APIIn use nowOfficial
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Optional key
BLS_API_KEYSource documentation (opens in a new tab) - USDA AMS Livestock Mandatory Reporting DataMartIn use nowOfficial
Source: USDA AMS Livestock Mandatory Reporting
No key needed.Source documentation (opens in a new tab)
- USDA AMS My Market News (MARS API)Not in use on this serverOfficial
Source: USDA AMS Market News
Needs
USDA_MARS_API_KEY· Free (USDA My Market News account; key shown on the profile page).Source documentation (opens in a new tab) - API Ninjas Commodity Price APINot in use on this serverOfficial
Source: API Ninjas (required on the free plan)
Needs
API_NINJAS_KEY· Free plan: 3,000 calls/month, 100/hour, evaluation and demo only, no commercial use, no storing, attribution required, last daily settlement.Source documentation (opens in a new tab)
What the labels mean
The label next to every market price comes from the market-data service. It never shows a price as live when it is not.
- Live
- The exchange is open and the last price is recent.
- Delayed
- Open, but the last price is a few minutes old.
- Market closed
- The last price from the latest session, with the time it opens next.Nights, weekends and holidays.
- Daily, weekly
- The latest daily settlement or weekly report, with its date.
- Monthly average
- An average over a whole month, labelled with that month. Not today's price.
- Stale
- Older than its source's schedule allows. Shown with its own date and no coloured move.
- Unavailable
- The source did not answer, or has no value. No number is shown.
- Needs a data key
- No configured source can price this market.Lumber without a key: the softwood lumber price index is shown instead, marked as an index, not a price.
- Sample data
- Recorded values for tests and offline work only, always marked.
How the change figure is worked out
A change figure is only shown when the comparison comes from the same source (and, for futures, the same contract):
- Session markets
- Today's price against the previous session's close that Staple recorded itself.
- Daily, weekly, monthly
- The latest value against the previous one from the same source, for example "vs Aug average".
- Round-the-clock feeds
- Against Staple's own value from about 24 hours earlier.
With nothing comparable yet, there is no change figure rather than a zero. Each market's page has its chart and full source notes: start from Markets.