How to Build a Live Stock Watchlist Dataset with One API

A watchlist is only useful if the numbers behind it stay current. This walks through building a reusable stock dataset from public Google Finance data using one hosted API, then keeping it fresh on a schedule.

Why not just call a Google Finance endpoint?

Because there is not one. Google retired its Finance API and never shipped a replacement, and the page you see in a browser renders through JavaScript with the quote, chart, stats, news, and statements split across separate widgets. A plain HTTP request returns an empty shell. The Google Finance API on Apify handles the rendering and hands you structured JSON instead.

What one call returns

Send a ticker such as GOOGL:NASDAQ and each symbol comes back as a single JSON item: the real-time price and its movement, a price and volume graph for your chosen window, key statistics like market cap and P/E, recent news headlines, and financial statements where Google shows them. Stocks, ETFs, indices, currencies, and crypto all use the same shape.

Run it from anywhere

You can start a run over REST with a symbol and a window:

POST /v2/acts/johnvc~google-finance-api/runs
{ "q": "GOOGL:NASDAQ", "window": "1M" }

The dataset then exports as JSON, CSV, or Excel. For a whole watchlist, pass a queries array of symbols and the run appends one item per ticker.

Keep the dataset fresh

Save your symbols as a task, attach a schedule, and every run appends fresh quotes with timestamps, which turns a one-off pull into a price history you own. That is the entire portfolio monitoring recipe, and the NVDA price history to CSV task shows the export side.

Call it from an AI agent

The Actor is exposed over the Model Context Protocol, so a prompt like "what did AAPL close at" triggers a real fetch. The live quotes in Claude via MCP task has the setup.

FAQ about scraping Google Finance

Is a Google Finance scraper legal to use?

It reads the same public information any visitor sees on Google Finance and returns it as JSON. Keep usage reasonable and follow the terms that apply to you; nothing here is investment or legal advice.

How much does the scraper cost?

Billing is per event: $0.02 to start a run, then $0.02 per symbol. One symbol is $0.04 and a ten-symbol portfolio is $0.22. New Apify accounts include free credit.

Can the scraper handle non-US tickers?

Yes. Symbols like RELIANCE:NSE return quotes with the same JSON shape, as shown in the NSE quotes task.

What will the scraper miss?

Whatever Google Finance itself does not display. Statements are not available for every symbol, thin instruments carry sparse data, and quotes reflect the page rather than a direct exchange feed.

Point the Google Finance API at your watchlist and see what comes back.