A price feed supplies the constantly updating prices that trading platforms, apps, and financial tools rely on. It captures changes in the market as they happen, often multiple times per second. Whether it’s the latest stock quote, the current EUR/USD exchange rate, or a prediction market probability, the feed keeps users connected to real-time market behavior.
Price feeds can include more than just the last traded price. They often include bid-ask quotes, spreads, volume, order book depth, and historical data. Together, these elements give traders a complete picture of how the market is moving. In fast-moving markets like crypto or forex, a reliable price feed is essential—delays or inaccuracies can lead to poor executions or faulty signals.
Different markets use different methods to generate price feeds. Exchanges send raw tick data, decentralized protocols use on-chain oracles, and prediction markets calculate prices based on probability-driven contracts. Regardless of the source, the goal is the same: deliver accurate, up-to-the-second pricing information.
Price feeds matter because they power everything from trading algorithms to mobile investment apps. Without real-time price data, investors would be trading blind—unable to see the true state of the market.
Centralized exchanges generate price feeds from internal order books, providing highly accurate and fast data. Decentralized markets rely on oracles or on-chain mechanisms to broadcast prices, which may update more slowly but offer transparency and tamper resistance. Each model balances speed, security, and trust differently depending on its design.
Latency—the delay between market movement and data delivery—can determine whether a trade is profitable or not. In fast markets, even milliseconds matter. Low-latency price feeds let algorithms respond instantly to new data, while slow feeds risk slippage, missed opportunities, or inaccurate signals.
Apps cross-check multiple sources, use redundancy across data providers, and rely on robust APIs with uptime guarantees. In crypto, decentralized oracles aggregate data from many exchanges to prevent manipulation. In traditional markets, regulated exchanges publish standardized feeds that ensure reliability and consistency.
A forex trading app displays the EUR/USD exchange rate updating several times a second. Behind the scenes, its price feed pulls live quotes from liquidity providers and broadcasts them to the user. When the user submits a trade, the execution uses the latest available price from the feed.
FinFeedAPI’s Currencies API serves as a powerful price feed for developers. They deliver real-time exchange rates —fueling dashboards, trading bots, mobile apps, and analytical tools. With fast, reliable market data, developers can build products that respond instantly to market movements.
