Support Board
Date/Time: Tue, 25 Aug 2026 18:47:53 +0000
Historical tick data for COMEX gold (GC) — requirements and coverage
View Count: 61
| [2026-08-25 08:50:53] |
| Eter - Posts: 2 |
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Hello, Before purchasing, I would like to confirm five points. My intended use is to download historical tick-by-tick data for COMEX gold futures for statistical research, and later automated trading via ACSIL. 1. HISTORICAL DOWNLOAD WITHOUT REAL-TIME SUBSCRIPTION Can I download historical tick-by-tick Intraday data for GC contracts with only a Service Package (for example Package 11), WITHOUT activating a real-time CME/COMEX exchange subscription and WITHOUT a funded futures trading account? Your documentation states: "All Sierra Chart Service Packages and the trial include historical data for the above listed exchanges regardless of whether the data is real-time or delayed." I would like to confirm this applies to GC tick data specifically. 2. DEPTH OF TICK HISTORY FOR GOLD For GC contracts specifically - for example GCM13, GCZ16, GCM20, GCZ25 - is the historical Intraday data tick-by-tick, or 1-minute? Your documentation gives two different dates: "Tick by tick data for futures contracts on the CME/NYMEX/COMEX/CBOT begins at 2011", and elsewhere "Tick by tick data for the CME Group goes back at least as far back as the year 2013 approximately." Which one applies to GC? 3. BID/ASK VOLUME IN HISTORICAL DATA Do the historical GC tick records have BidVolume and AskVolume populated (non-zero) for the entire tick-by-tick period? 4. TRIAL RESTRICTION I have read on this board that "Gold is not one of the available options while on a trial." Does this restriction apply only to real-time data, or also to downloading historical GC data during the trial? 5. DATA REQUEST QUOTA Is GC considered a "less common market" with respect to the limit of 3000 historical data requests per month? Thank you. |
| [2026-08-25 14:50:59] |
| John - SC Support - Posts: 47643 |
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1. You do need to be on a paid package, as the Trial has limited symbols and data available. But any package will suffice to get the historical data. You do not need to have an active subscription for the real-time data to get the historical data. 2. The statements are both true, although the one referencing 2013 is more generic. We have tick-by-tick data going back to 2011 for most CME Group symbols, but it does depend on the individual symbol. 3. Whether a trade occurred at the Bid or Ask is available with the tick-by-tick data. If you are looking for something else (such as Historical Market Depth data) then that is not available. 4. While on a trial you only have access to certain symbols and a limited amount of data. Refer to the following: Sierra Chart Trial Account 5. No. The historical daily data limit applies to all of the CME Group data. -- You stated that you are wanting the data "for statistical research". We want to point out that the data is only available to be accessed within the Sierra Chart software itself. This is due to restrictions from the exchanges. For the most reliable, advanced, and zero cost futures order routing, use the Teton service: Sierra Chart Teton Futures Order Routing |
| [2026-08-25 15:49:48] |
| Eter - Posts: 2 |
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Thank you for the detailed answers. One clarification on your final point. You wrote that the data "is only available to be accessed within the Sierra Chart software itself." I want to make sure I understand the scope, because your documentation publicly describes the s_IntradayRecord binary layout of the .scid file, and the software provides "Edit >> Export Intraday Data to Text File". Specifically: if I use Sierra Chart to download historical Intraday data for GC, am I permitted to: (a) read the resulting .scid files with my own program, on the same computer, for my own private research, or (b) export to .itxt and analyze the result in another application, also privately? Or does the exchange restriction mean the data must be processed only inside Sierra Chart via ACSIL studies, with no external reading of the files at all? I am not redistributing the data or sharing it with anyone. |
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