Imported from previous forum
I have a question about the Symbol field(tag 55) & SymbolSfx(tag 65). Is there a FIX requirement that it should be in uppercase or is it just a convention? Some brokers seem to accept only uppercase.
Thanks in advance for any help.
JK
[ original email was from Jeremy Sutton - jezza.sutton@patsystems.com ]
I do not believe FIX places a requirement on the contents here as I believe the contents are part of the counter-party negotiation. It would seem likely that the contents are more or less dictated by the sell-side application, especially if it is an exchange. In my experience in the futures world the contents are usually in uppercase.
> I do not believe FIX places a requirement on the contents here as I believe the contents are part of the counter-party negotiation. It would seem likely that the contents are more or less dictated by the sell-side application, especially if it is an exchange. In my experience in the futures world the contents are usually in uppercase.
>
Agreed - most sell side brokers use UPPER CASE ; however, there is no specific rule. Remember, some symbols ( like reuters ric’s and prefered’s ) mix case ( ABC.pA ) But in the case of RIC’s you would not use 55&65 anyway .
Joseph, I think it is important to recognize that symbol types (i.e. Reuters Symbol or “RIC”) are case-sensitive. For example, Viacom B is VIAb.N in Reuters. It is also important to realize that systems “match” values specified. I would imagine that many of those match algorithms are case-sensitive (i.e. making them case-insensitive requires additional CPU). My recommendation would be to consider the value case-sensitive and if you’re dealing with an all-uppercase symbol type then to have your app convert it before sending.
> I have a question about the Symbol field(tag 55) & SymbolSfx(tag 65). Is there a FIX requirement that it should be in uppercase or is it just a convention? Some brokers seem to accept only uppercase.
>
> Thanks in advance for any help.
>
> JK
>