General Information

What is the Center for Research in Security Prices?

Often known by its acronym CRSP, it is a research center at the Booth School of Business (founded in 1898) of the University of Chicago. CRSP is a non-profit center which also functions as a vendor of historical data. All revenues after expenses support the Booth School of Business, providing grants for faculty and student research.

What Makes CRSP Data Unique?

Its accuracy, depth and breadth of history, and its permanent identifiers.

All CRSP data are checked for accuracy and internal consistency, and secondary sources are used to check suspect values. Considerable resources are expended in checking and improving the quality of the data. Errors and omissions in source data are not common. Historical corrections account for the differences in the data from update to update.

CRSP's unique and permanent security and company identifiers, PERMNO® and PERMCO®, offer uninterrupted time-series analysis by tracking securities across time, regardless of identifier changes to CUSIP, ticker, company name, SIC Code, and exchange. This feature permits accurate time-series and events studies.

Who are typical users of CRSP equity data?

Typical users include members of the academic and investment communities.

  • Academic users: Top US and international academic institutions
     
  • Commercial users: quantitative analysts, equity derivatives traders, researchers and marketers, portfolio managers and research analysts, merger and acquisition groups and management consultants, attorneys, hedge fund and mutual fund managers, exchanges
     
  • Government agencies
     

How do I get more information about CRSP products and subscribing to them?

Please contact subscriptions for product information and pricing details. Subscriptions can be reached at 1-312-263-6400 selection #1, or via e-mail at subscriptions@crsp.org

Does CRSP offer free trials?

CRSP does not offer free trials except to academic institutions who are subscribers to the WRDS platform, but does provide a Sample Software and Data CD to prospective subscribers. The sample CD contains the CRSP software that is used to access the data and a sample of all available data products for prospective users to view. In addition, sample C and Fortran-95 programs are provided for those with programming interests in order for them to have an opportunity to test-drive CRSP products. Both CRSP Subscriptions and Client Services groups are happy to assist you in your use of the sample CD. To obtain a sample CD, you may contact Subscriptions at 312.263.6400, Selection #1. Once you have received your Sample CD you can contact the Client Services group for assistance at Selection #2.

What are the requirements if I want to subscribe to the CRSP/Compustat Merged database?

Subscribers of the CCM database must also have a current subscription with Standard & Poor's for Compustat data. The Compustat subscription determines which Compustat data product a user may access through CRSP. In addition to a current Compustat subscription, subscribers must also have a current subscription to a CRSP US Stock database.

Now that I have subscribed how quickly can I receive the data?

The CRSP Subscriptions team works with new clients to process your new subscription as expeditiously as possible. The licensing of CRSP data requires a signed contract between CRSP and the subscriber as well as a receipt of payment for the full year of the subscription prior to shipping the data.

Not many data vendors provide custom datasets. Does CRSP?

Yes. We offer fast turnaround on excellent custom research work. For custom datasets you may contact the Customs group at 1-312-263-6400 Selection #4 or email Custom@crsp.org.