The Security Editor is used to create and edit commodities that are used by mutual fund and stock
type accounts. It also shows the details of National Currencies that are used by GnuCash.
To show the details for National Currencies click the Show National Currencies check-box at the bottom of the screen.
Each entry in the editor shows the details used by the security/currency:
Type: Categories for organizing securities. GnuCash has the following
built in:
CURRENCY or ISO4317: These are used for national currencies and are not editable with the Security Editor.
FUND: Ordinarily used for open-ended mutual funds, i.e., those that one purchases from and sells to only the issuing company and that are priced daily at their net asset value.
AMEX, ASX, EUREX, NASDAQ, and NYSE: These represent a few of the exchanges on which stocks, closed-end mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds are traded.
Template: This is a reserved word. It will not normally appear in the Security Editor unless you type it in, and if you do it will cause problems. Don't use it.
If your investment doesn't fit into one of these categories, for example if you trade stocks on the DAX or LSE, you can easily create your own type simply by typing it into the field. The type of security has no meaning to Gnucash (except Template, don't use that!), it's there only to make it easier for you to find the security from the selection lists.
Symbol: Indicates the symbol or abbreviation for the commodity. This is usually the ticker symbol (for stocks) or other unique abbreviation for the commodity. If the commodity is traded on any public exchange, it is important to use the same identifier used on that exchange. For national currencies the symbol is the ISO-4217 currency code.
Name: The full name of the commodity is a recognizable name such as US Dollars or IBM Common Stock.
Code: This is any numeric or alphanumeric code that is used to identify the commodity. The ISIN code is an international unique identifying numeric string that is associated with every stock, bond or mutual fund, and most kinds of traded options, futures and commodities. There are also regional valid codes available like CUSIP in the North America, WKN in DE, … This code is not required.
Fraction: This is the smallest traded unit of the commodity,
expressed as a fraction of a single nominal unit. This unit is used by GnuCash accounts as
the default fraction for trades in the commodity.
To add a new commodity (stock, or mutual fund), click on Add, and enter the details of the commodity into the New Security dialog box. To edit an existing commodity, select the commodity from the Commodities list, click the button, and edit the Edit Security dialog box. To remove a commodity, select the commodity and click the button.
The fields in the New/Edit Security screens are the same as defined for the Security Editor Section 8.7, “Security Editor”. Below these fields are the options for Online Quotes.
To support on-line quotations for a particular stock or mutual fund account, you must first enable on-line price quoting and select a price source in the Security Editor. Online currency quotes require only that the check-box for Online quotes and the timezone be selected, and that the “Get Quotes” box be checked in the Security Editor.
Detailed instructions are in the section on Creating New Accounts. Section 5.4.2, “Steps to enable Online Quotes updating”