name: matlab-access-datafeed
description: >
Guide for accessing financial and economic data in MATLAB using the Datafeed Toolbox.
Covers Bloomberg (market data via bloomberg/blp/bloombergHypermedia), FRED (Federal Reserve
economic data via fredrs), Haver Analytics (economic data via haver/haverdirect/haverview),
and LSEG Datastream (historical data via datastreamws). Use when connecting to any of these
data providers from MATLAB.
license: https://www.mathworks.com/content/dam/mathworks/license/pmrl/license.md
metadata:
author: MathWorks
version: "1.2"
Datafeed Toolbox — Bloomberg, FRED, Haver Analytics, and LSEG Datastream
Access financial and economic data from four major providers through the MATLAB Datafeed Toolbox.
When to Use
- User wants to connect to Bloomberg, FRED, Haver Analytics, or LSEG Datastream from MATLAB
- User needs to retrieve market data (prices, history, real-time, reference data) via Bloomberg
- User needs to retrieve economic time series from the St. Louis Fed (FRED)
- User needs to fetch economic/financial time series from Haver Analytics databases
- User needs to retrieve historical financial data from LSEG Datastream
- User needs help choosing between interfaces within a provider (e.g., bloomberg vs blp vs bloombergHypermedia, haver vs haverview)
- User is writing MATLAB code involving securities, economic indicators, or data provider connectivity
When NOT to Use
- General financial modeling or portfolio optimization that doesn't involve data provider connectivity
- Bloomberg Terminal keyboard shortcuts or Excel add-in questions (not MATLAB)
- Datastream Excel add-in (not MATLAB)
- Real-time streaming from LSEG (datastreamws is historical only)
- Data sources not covered here (e.g., Yahoo Finance)
Provider Overview
| Provider | Data Type | Interfaces | Reference |
|---|
| Bloomberg | Market data (equities, fixed income, derivatives, indices) | bloomberg, blp, bloombergHypermedia, bloombergEMSX | references/bloomberg.md |
| FRED | U.S. economic data (GDP, unemployment, CPI, interest rates) | fredrs (replaces obsolete fred) | references/fred.md |
| Haver Analytics | Global economic & financial data (macro, industry, surveys) | haver, haverdirect, haverview | references/haver.md |
| LSEG Datastream | Historical financial data (equities, indices, economics, expressions) | datastreamws | references/datastreamws.md |
Quick Interface Selection
Bloomberg — see references/bloomberg.md for full API patterns
- Windows Desktop/Terminal user →
bloomberg (C++)
- Need platform independence (Data License) →
bloombergHypermedia
- Server/cloud, no Terminal (BPIPE) →
bloombergBPIPE
- Existing
blp users → migrate to bloomberg (same API, no Java needed)
FRED — see references/fred.md for full API patterns
- Any platform →
fredrs (requires R2026a+, API key)
fred is obsolete — do NOT use it
Haver Analytics — see references/haver.md for full API patterns
- Windows with local data files →
haver
- Windows needing remote access →
haverdirect
- Non-Windows / server / cloud →
haverview (REST API)
LSEG Datastream — see references/datastreamws.md for full API patterns
- Any platform →
datastreamws (REST API, requires Datastream credentials)
How to Use References
Before generating code for a specific provider, read the corresponding reference file for detailed API patterns, function signatures, gotchas, and examples:
- Working with Bloomberg data → read
references/bloomberg.md
- Working with FRED economic data → read
references/fred.md
- Working with Haver Analytics data → read
references/haver.md
- Working with LSEG Datastream data → read
references/datastreamws.md
Common Rules
- Always use
getSecret() for credentials and API keys — never hardcode secrets
- All four providers require the Datafeed Toolbox
fredrs additionally requires R2026a or later
datastreamws available since R2018b
- Bloomberg and Haver local interfaces (
bloomberg, blp, haver, haverdirect) are Windows-only; cloud/REST variants (bloombergHypermedia, bpipe, haverview, fredrs, datastreamws) are platform-independent
Copyright 2026 The MathWorks, Inc.