Help importing OFX files for options/futures accounts

[Derek Atkins]

Hi,

Brendan Simon <Brendan at BrendanSimon.com> writes:

[snip]
>        Commodity: P ODAX AUG 04  3600 DAX AUG04 360
>        Exchange code (CUSIP or similar): P ODAX AUG 04 3600
>        Mnemonic (Ticker symbol or similar): P ODAX AUG 04 3600
>           Type: AMEX | EUREX | FUND | ISO4217 | NASDAQ | NYSE
>
> I _assume_ I select EUREX but I'm not sure.
> If I select EUREX, it tells me the currency/security is C ODAX JUL 04 
> 4200 (C ODAX JUL 04  4200 DAX JUL04 420)

The "type" is where you'd go to get prices...

> If I select ISO4217 then it allows me to select a currency.  What is
> ISO4217?

ISO is the International Standards Organization, 4217 is the ISO list
of country currencies.

> It then asks me to create an account for each commodity.
> Does this mean it needs a pool from where to "buy" and "sell" to
> commodity.  eg. the market?

Yes.

> Should I have a new account for each commodity?

Yes..  Gnucash depends on this.  Each Account can hold one and ONLY one
commodity.

> If I have 10 different options then I will have 10 different accounts. 

Yes.

> This does not seem right as it wont scale very well.  eg. Each option
> usually has a life of 30-90 days, so over the years there will be more
> and more options with different expiries and therefore different
> accounts would have to be created.

Gnucash wasn't designed to handle option trading.  Eventually you'll
be able to "close the books" and delete unused accounts.

> I'm really lost at what gnucash is trying to ask me and why.
> Please help me understand.
> Any comments or suggestions greatly appreciated.
> Are there any documents on howto import OFX files?

It's fairly straightforward.  You yourself answered the questions for
what you need to do, above.  Indeed, you only seem to be
second-guessing your (correct) answers to the import process.

> Maybe it's not that there OFX files, but rather that they are "stock"
> like data.
> Are there any documents on how to import to stock accounts?

Did you read the GnuCash documentation?

> Is a broker account a "stock" account or a "bank" account ???

Usually Bank or Asset.

> Does anyone else use OFX files for options or futures ???

I dont track commodities myself.  Don't know about anyone else.

-derek
-- 
       Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
       Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
       URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/    PP-ASEL-IA     N1NWH
       warlord at MIT.EDU                        PGP key available