Change % From Previous Close Formula in Excel

The Change % From Previous Close formula in Excel (with MarketXLS) helps you quickly determine the percentage price change of a security from its previous closing price. This function is especially useful for analyzing daily trends in stocks, indices, options, and cryptocurrencies, enabling traders and investors to make data-driven decisions.

Understanding Change % From Previous Close

• Purpose and Use Cases
  The Change_PercentChange function retrieves the percentage change in a security’s closing price compared to its previous close. This information is vital for quickly seeing upward or downward movements.

• Key Benefits

  • Identifies market momentum.
  • Provides daily performance snapshots.
  • Saves time by automating data retrieval from MarketXLS.

• When to Use
  Use this formula to monitor the daily percentage price change for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, indices, and cryptocurrency pairs. It is particularly beneficial for short-term traders, intraday analysts, or investors focusing on volatility and momentum.

Syntax and Parameters

=Change_PercentChange(Symbol)

• Return Value
  Returns a numeric decimal representing the percentage change from the previous close. For example, a returned value of 0.02 indicates a 2% increase.

• Error Handling
  If the symbol is invalid, data is unavailable, or the MarketXLS license is not valid, the function returns "NA".

• Performance Considerations
  This function queries external data. Use prudently in large workbooks to avoid performance slowdowns—especially with multiple simultaneous lookups.

Examples and Usage

Below are some common ways to call the function using different symbol formats:

1. Referencing a cell containing the symbol:

   =Change_PercentChange(A2)

2. Using a direct string for a stock:

   =Change_PercentChange("MSFT")

3. Using an index symbol:

   =Change_PercentChange("^SPX")

4. Using an option symbol:

   =Change_PercentChange("@MSFT 110122C00020000")

5. Requesting crypto data:

   =Change_PercentChange("BTCUSD:DEFAULT")

? Pro Tip: Combine this formula with other MarketXLS functions (e.g., OpenPrice, AskPrice) to create a comprehensive trading dashboard in Excel.

Practical Applications

• Daily Tracking: Quickly calculate each day’s market movement for your portfolio holdings.
• Automated Alerts: Pair with Excel’s conditional formatting to highlight stocks with significant price swings.
• Historical Trends: Store daily snapshots in a separate sheet to create performance charts over time.

Common Questions

1. What happens if I use an invalid symbol?

   ?? Note: The function returns "NA" if the symbol is invalid or if there are licensing issues.

2. Why am I seeing “NA” for certain option symbols?
   Some option data might be temporarily unavailable. Always verify symbol formatting and license validity.

3. Is the returned value the raw percentage or decimal format?
   It returns a decimal fraction of the percentage change (e.g., 0.015 for 1.5%). You can multiply by 100 or format as a percentage in Excel.

4. Does this formula refresh automatically?
   When Excel recalculates, the function fetches fresh data. Use Excel’s data refresh settings or recalculate manually for up-to-date values.

5. Can I request date-specific data?
   This function does not accept a date parameter. It always uses the most recent data. For date-specific historical data, you may use other MarketXLS functions designed for historical queries.

? Pro Tip: Consider using Excel’s formula auditing tools to optimize the number of calls made to MarketXLS, especially in large spreadsheets.

• Related Functions
  • Ask Price
  • Open Price
  • Last Price
  • Stream data from QM Data bundles
  • Stream Ask