Do I Get Real-Time Quotes?

Pull up a quote for a stock or exchange-traded fund (ETF) on the RBC Direct Investing site or on mobile and you will, in most cases, find a real-time¹ quote at your fingertips. Plus, you get free real-time streaming² quotes for stocks and ETFs on your Detailed Quote page, Trading Dashboard, Watchlists and the Watchlist Widget online. There's no minimum balance or trading activity required. What's the difference between real-time and real-time streaming? Let's explore.

What is a real-time quote?

• A real-time quote displays bid, ask and last prices in real time at the moment you pull up a quote, which means you're seeing the most recent prices to help inform your trading decisions. It's common on other sites and platforms to find delayed quotes that are usually about 15 minutes behind real-time quotes.  

What is a real-time streaming quote?

• A real-time streaming quote allows you to see prices move up and down automatically, tick by tick with the market, without refreshing the page. They're great for when you're ready to trade, when you're monitoring securities you own or to help you spot opportunities on your Watchlists.

How to Access

• Real-time streaming quotes for stocks and ETFs can be found on your Detailed Quote page and your Trading Dashboard, as well as your online Watchlists and the Watchlist Widget. To enable real-time streaming quotes, you'll need to turn streaming ON. For Watchlists, go to View & Manage Watchlists under the My Portfolio menu and select "Streaming Quotes" at the top of the page to switch streaming on and off. You'll find the same "Streaming Quotes" switch on the Detailed Quote page and on the Watchlist Widget (the blue star found on the top right of any page on the site, which you can use for quick access to your watchlists). Real-time streaming is automatically enabled on the Trading Dashboard.

What about level 2 quotes³?

A level 2 quote gives you what's known as market depth information, straight from the security's trade order book. You get to see the number of shares and top 10 bid and ask prices. They're useful when you want to assess the interest for a thinly traded security, or when you want to set a price (or prices) for a large amount of stock you want to buy or sell. All RBC Direct Investing clients receive free Level 2 quotes for TSX and TSX Venture-listed stocks and ETFs. They can be found in the middle of your Detailed Quote page and in your Trading Dashboard. Real-time streaming Level 2 quotes for TSX and TSX Venture-listed stocks and ETFs are available in the Trading Dashboard. 

Things you should know:

• Guest-only Practice Accounts get delayed quotes (if you have a real RBC Direct Investing account, you get real-time and real-time streaming quotes).
• Real-time and real-time streaming quotes for stocks and ETFs are automatically available, without needing to complete exchange agreements.
• Active Traders and Royal Circle clients get real-time streaming quotes for options. Completed exchange agreements are required.
• Active Traders also get Level 2 quotes for Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) and Nasdaq-traded stocks and ETFs. Completed exchange agreements are required. Real-time streaming Level 2 quotes are available in the Trading Dashboard.

To view and sign exchange agreements, select the link to "Edit Profile & Preferences" from the My Portfolio menu, then select "Manage Canadian and U.S. Exchange Agreements."

For more on how quotes and trade orders work, check out the Guide to Investing in Stocks. (Look for Trading Stocks: What You Need to Know to Get Started)