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Asset Lookup

The Asset Lookup page lets you type a stock symbol and see its reference data, most importantly its margin requirements and its marginable, shortable, easy-to-borrow, fractionable, and tradable flags. It is a read-only reference view: you cannot place an order from this page.

Prerequisite: a connected Alpaca account​

Asset reference data is read through your connected broker. Alpaca exposes per-symbol margin requirements and marginability flags, so you need a connected Alpaca account to use this page. TradeStation's Brokerage API has no per-symbol margin endpoint, so it cannot answer asset lookups.

If you have no connected broker that supports asset lookup, the page shows a message asking you to connect an Alpaca account, with a link to the Accounts page. Connect Alpaca under Settings > Brokers first.

Looking up a symbol​

  1. Open Assets from the navigation.
  2. Type a symbol (for example, AAPL). The field uppercases as you type.
  3. Press Enter or click Look up.

The result card shows:

  • The symbol and the asset's name.
  • A margin block with the maintenance, long, and short requirements.
  • Flag badges for marginable, shortable, easy to borrow, fractionable, and tradable, plus the asset's active or inactive status.

This is an exact-symbol lookup. There is no search-as-you-type over the whole asset universe, because Alpaca's API has no fuzzy name search. You must type the exact ticker.

What the margin numbers mean​

The three margin figures are percentages of the position's market value.

FieldMeaning
MaintenanceThe minimum equity you must keep against the position once you hold it.
Long requirementThe margin required to open a long position in the symbol.
Short requirementThe margin required to open a short position in the symbol.

For example, a maintenance requirement of 30 means you must hold equity equal to 30% of the position's market value. When the broker does not report a field for a symbol, the page shows "Not reported" rather than a number.

What the flags mean​

FlagMeaning
MarginableThe asset can be bought on margin.
ShortableThe asset can be sold short.
Easy to borrowShares are readily available to borrow for a short sale.
FractionableThe asset can be traded in fractional share quantities.
TradableThe asset is currently tradable at the broker.
ActiveThe asset is active rather than delisted or inactive.

Error messages​

  • No asset found for SYMBOL: the symbol is unknown to the broker. Check the ticker and try again.
  • Connect an Alpaca account: you have no connected broker that supports asset lookup. Connect Alpaca to use this page.
  • Broker does not support asset lookup: the broker behind the account cannot answer per-symbol asset queries. Connect an Alpaca account instead.

See also​