Python Stock Quotes: REST & Tick Parsing

Core Takeaway · 30-Second Brief

Fetching latest stock quotes in Python takes three steps: serialize your symbol query into a JSON string parameter, send an HTTP GET request with your API Token, and validate the return code before parsing tick_list. The example below queries Tencent (700.HK) and Apple (AAPL.US) in a single call.

Environment Setup

1Install Python 3.9 or newer.

2Install the HTTP client library: pip install requests

3Export your API Token via the ALLTICK_API_TOKEN environment variable rather than hardcoding credentials.

Terminal Commandbash

pip install requests
export ALLTICK_API_TOKEN="your_api_token"

Request Structure

AllTick REST endpoints accept filter parameters inside a URL query parameter named query formatted as a JSON string. For equities, the base URL is https://quote.alltick.co/quote-stock-b-api and the latest trade endpoint is /trade-tick.

Parameter	Location	Description
`token`	URL Query	Your AllTick API Token
`query`	URL Query	JSON string containing trace and data
`trace`	Inside query	Unique request trace ID for debugging (UUID recommended)
`data.symbol_list`	Inside query	Array of ticker objects, e.g. [{"code": "700.HK"}]

Complete Runnable Code

stock_quote.pypython

1import json, os, uuid
2from datetime import datetime, timezone
3import requests
4
5BASE_URL = "https://quote.alltick.co/quote-stock-b-api"
6
7def latest_trades(codes: list[str]) -> list[dict]:
8    token = os.getenv("ALLTICK_API_TOKEN", "YOUR_API_TOKEN")
9    query = {
10        "trace": str(uuid.uuid4()),
11        "data": {"symbol_list": [{"code": c} for c in codes]},
12    }
13    resp = requests.get(
14        f"{BASE_URL}/trade-tick",
15        params={"token": token, "query": json.dumps(query)},
16        timeout=10,
17    )
18    body = resp.json() if resp.content else {}
19    if body.get("ret") != 200:
20        raise RuntimeError(f"API error ret={body.get('ret')} msg={body.get('msg')}")
21    resp.raise_for_status()
22    return body.get("data", {}).get("tick_list", [])
23
24def to_local_time(ms: str) -> str:
25    return datetime.fromtimestamp(int(ms) / 1000, tz=timezone.utc).astimezone().isoformat()
26
27if __name__ == "__main__":
28    for tick in latest_trades(["700.HK", "AAPL.US"]):
29        print(tick.get("code"), tick.get("price"), to_local_time(tick.get("tick_time", "0")))

Understanding the Response Payload

A successful call returns ret: 200 with data.tick_list containing the latest trade for each requested symbol. Key fields include code (symbol), price (trade price as string), volume, and tick_time (UTC millisecond timestamp as string).

price is returned as a string; convert to Decimal before arithmetic to avoid floating-point precision loss.
tick_time is a UTC timestamp in milliseconds; convert to the exchange timezone before display.
During market closures, the endpoint returns the last recorded trade and tick_time remains static.

Common Errors & Fixes

Symptom	Likely Cause	Resolution
Missing ALLTICK_API_TOKEN	Environment variable not exported	Run export ALLTICK_API_TOKEN in the active shell
`ret != 200`	Invalid token, rate limit, or malformed query	Inspect msg and see the 401/429 diagnostic guide
Empty tick_list	Wrong symbol format or unsupported market	Verify exact ticker notation such as 700.HK
`ReadTimeout`	Network latency or proxy issue	Check outbound connectivity and keep an explicit timeout

Sources & Verification · 2026-10-13

Relevant endpoint, field, and exchange rules were checked against the primary specifications linked below.

Python examples passed ast.parse on Python 3.14.0. This checks syntax only; dependencies, runtime compatibility, and network responses were not tested.

Authenticated AllTick requests and production end-to-end tests were not run for this review. Record your token plan, library versions, market session, ret/trace, and observed results when reproducing these checks.

Primary specifications

Reproduce before deployment

Test a supported stock, unknown symbol, expired token, and forced timeout. Inspect HTTP status and API ret independently, redact tokens, and compare requested and returned codes.
The latest /trade-tick snapshot is not historical ticks. Convert tick_time from milliseconds to UTC and label closed-session values as the last known trade.