Data Sources

Overview

The Financial MCP Server integrates two complementary data sources to provide comprehensive financial information. Each source has distinct advantages and use cases.

YFinance

Free Python Library

Yahoo Finance data scraping
No API key required
Subject to rate limiting
6 tools available

Financial Modeling Prep

Professional API Service

Reliable, structured data
API key required
250+ requests/day free tier
26 professional tools

YFinance Data Source

What is YFinance?

YFinance is a Python library that scrapes financial data directly from Yahoo Finance. It’s not an API but rather a web scraping tool that mimics browser requests to Yahoo’s servers.

import yfinance as yf

# This is what happens under the hood
ticker = yf.Ticker("AAPL")
info = ticker.info  # Scrapes Yahoo Finance web pages

Advantages

✅ Completely Free

No API keys, subscriptions, or usage fees required

✅ No Registration

Works immediately without any setup or account creation

✅ Rich Historical Data

Access to years of historical price and volume data

✅ Popular & Well-Maintained

Large community, frequent updates, extensive documentation

Limitations

⚠️ Rate Limiting

Yahoo Finance may temporarily block requests if too many are made

⚠️ Reliability Issues

Web scraping can break if Yahoo changes their website structure

⚠️ No Official Support

Yahoo doesn’t officially support programmatic access

⚠️ Limited Advanced Features

Basic financial data only, no professional analytics

Available YFinance Tools

Tool	Description	Use Case
`get_stock_quote`	Real-time stock prices	Portfolio tracking
`get_company_overview`	Company information	Research
`get_time_series_daily`	Historical data	Backtesting
`search_symbol`	Symbol lookup	Discovery
`get_recommendations`	Analyst ratings	Investment decisions
`get_insider_transactions`	Insider trading	Sentiment analysis

Financial Modeling Prep (FMP)

What is FMP?

Financial Modeling Prep is a professional financial data API service that provides institutional-grade financial information through a structured REST API.

# Professional API with structured responses
response = requests.get(
    "https://financialmodelingprep.com/api/v3/quote/AAPL",
    params={"apikey": "your_api_key"}
)

Advantages

✅ Professional Reliability

99.9% uptime, structured data, official API support

✅ Comprehensive Coverage

26 professional tools covering all aspects of financial analysis

✅ Advanced Features

DCF valuations, technical indicators, options data, insider trading

✅ Real-time Data

Live market data with minimal latency

✅ Scalable

From 250 requests/day (free) to millions (enterprise)

Pricing Tiers

Tier	Requests/Day	Price	Best For
Free	250	$0	Development, testing
Starter	1,000	$15/month	Small applications
Professional	10,000	$50/month	Production apps
Enterprise	1,000,000+	Custom	Large scale

Available FMP Tools

Core Financial Data (4 tools)

fmp_get_stock_quote - Real-time quotes
fmp_get_financial_statements - Income, balance sheet, cash flow
fmp_get_key_metrics - Financial ratios and metrics
fmp_get_dcf_valuation - Discounted cash flow analysis

Market Data (4 tools)

fmp_get_market_gainers - Top gaining stocks
fmp_get_market_losers - Biggest losers
fmp_get_most_active - Highest volume stocks
fmp_get_sector_performance - Sector analysis

Advanced Screening (6 tools)

fmp_stock_screener - Multi-criteria screening
fmp_search_advanced - Enhanced search
fmp_get_stock_news - Financial news
fmp_get_price_targets - Analyst targets
fmp_get_upgrades_downgrades - Rating changes
fmp_get_insider_trading_latest - Insider activity

Options & Technical (4 tools)

fmp_get_options_chain - Options data
fmp_get_options_volume - Options activity
fmp_get_technical_indicators - RSI, MACD, etc.
fmp_get_moving_averages - Technical analysis

International & Alternative (4 tools)

fmp_get_international_gainers - Global markets
fmp_get_currency_rates - Forex data
fmp_get_crypto_prices - Cryptocurrency
fmp_get_commodities - Commodity prices

Professional Analytics (4 tools)

fmp_get_analyst_estimates - Earnings estimates
fmp_get_earnings_surprises - Beat/miss data
fmp_get_senate_trades - Government trading
fmp_get_house_trades - Congressional activity

Comparison Matrix

Feature	YFinance	FMP
Cost	Free	Free tier + paid
Reliability	Moderate	High
Setup	None	API key required
Rate Limits	Yahoo’s discretion	Clearly defined
Data Quality	Good	Professional
Advanced Features	Basic	Extensive
Support	Community	Official
Real-time Data	Yes	Yes
Historical Data	Extensive	Extensive
International Markets	Limited	Comprehensive

Best Practices

When to Use YFinance

Development & Testing

Perfect for prototyping and development without API key setup

Basic Portfolio Tracking

Simple price monitoring and basic company information

Educational Projects

Learning financial programming without cost barriers

FMP Quota Exceeded

Fallback when FMP daily limits are reached

When to Use FMP

Production Applications

Reliable data for user-facing applications

Professional Analysis

Advanced metrics, ratios, and valuation models

High-Volume Usage

Applications requiring many daily requests

Comprehensive Coverage

Need for options, international, or alternative asset data

Server Implementation

Our server implements an intelligent fallback system:

Rate Limiting Handling

The server automatically handles rate limiting:

# Automatic retry with exponential backoff
def handle_yfinance_request(func, *args, **kwargs):
    max_retries = 3
    for attempt in range(max_retries):
        try:
            return func(*args, **kwargs)
        except RateLimitError:
            wait_time = (2 ** attempt) + random.uniform(0, 1)
            time.sleep(wait_time)

Getting Started

1. No Setup Required (YFinance)

# Works immediately
curl "http://localhost:8001/api/v1/stock/AAPL/yfinance"

2. FMP Setup (Recommended)

# Get free API key at financialmodelingprep.com
export FMP_API_KEY="your_api_key"
curl "http://localhost:8001/api/v1/stock/AAPL"

Get Started

Core Concepts

Guides

Overview

YFinance

Financial Modeling Prep

YFinance Data Source

What is YFinance?

Advantages

Limitations

Available YFinance Tools

Financial Modeling Prep (FMP)

What is FMP?

Advantages

Pricing Tiers

Available FMP Tools

Core Financial Data (4 tools)

Market Data (4 tools)

Advanced Screening (6 tools)

Options & Technical (4 tools)

International & Alternative (4 tools)

Professional Analytics (4 tools)

Comparison Matrix

Best Practices

When to Use YFinance

When to Use FMP

Server Implementation

Rate Limiting Handling

Getting Started

1. No Setup Required (YFinance)

2. FMP Setup (Recommended)

Next Steps

Get FMP API Key

API Reference

Installation Guide

MCP Integration

​Overview

YFinance

Financial Modeling Prep

​YFinance Data Source

​What is YFinance?

​Advantages

​Limitations

​Available YFinance Tools

​Financial Modeling Prep (FMP)

​What is FMP?

​Advantages

​Pricing Tiers

​Available FMP Tools

​Core Financial Data (4 tools)

​Market Data (4 tools)

​Advanced Screening (6 tools)

​Options & Technical (4 tools)

​International & Alternative (4 tools)

​Professional Analytics (4 tools)

​Comparison Matrix

​Best Practices

​When to Use YFinance

​When to Use FMP

​Server Implementation

​Rate Limiting Handling

​Getting Started

​1. No Setup Required (YFinance)

​2. FMP Setup (Recommended)

​Next Steps

Get FMP API Key

API Reference

Installation Guide

MCP Integration

Overview

YFinance Data Source

What is YFinance?

Advantages

Limitations

Available YFinance Tools

Financial Modeling Prep (FMP)

What is FMP?

Advantages

Pricing Tiers

Available FMP Tools

Core Financial Data (4 tools)

Market Data (4 tools)

Advanced Screening (6 tools)

Options & Technical (4 tools)

International & Alternative (4 tools)

Professional Analytics (4 tools)

Comparison Matrix

Best Practices

When to Use YFinance

When to Use FMP

Server Implementation

Rate Limiting Handling

Getting Started

1. No Setup Required (YFinance)

2. FMP Setup (Recommended)

Next Steps