Ticker Talk: Teaching Your GPT to Gossip About Stocks with the Alpha Vantage API

Imagine having a personal assistant that fetches the latest news and sentiment about your favorite companies faster than you can say, “What’s the stock ticker for Tesla?” With Custom Actions in ChatGPT and the Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment API, you can build exactly that—a tailored news and sentiment aggregator designed to keep you informed without drowning in data. Here’s how to set it up.

Why Alpha Vantage?

Alpha Vantage’s News & Sentiment API is a treasure trove of insights, designed for anyone who wants to stay on top of the markets or make data-driven decisions. Here’s what makes it shine:

Types of Information You Can Retrieve

1. Company-Specific News

   • Filter news articles mentioning specific stock tickers (e.g., AAPL for Apple, TSLA for Tesla).

   • Stay informed on company updates, market performance, and key announcements.

2. Sentiment Analysis

   • Gauge the tone of the news—Positive, Neutral, or Negative.

   • Quickly understand public and market perception without reading every article.

3. Topic-Based Insights

   • Filter news by industry or specific events, such as:

     • Earnings: Quarterly and annual financial results.

     • Mergers & Acquisitions: Company buyouts and takeovers.

     • Technology: Innovations and sector trends.

     • Economy: Fiscal and monetary policies affecting markets.

4. Historical Data

   • Retrieve older articles by specifying a date range. Perfect for analyzing trends or revisiting pivotal moments.

5. Real-Time Updates

   • Get the latest news sorted by relevance, publication date, or importance. Ideal for those who thrive on up-to-the-minute information.

6. Multi-Ticker Search

   • Query multiple tickers at once (e.g., tickers=TSLA,AMZN).

   • Great for comparing sentiment across companies or sectors.

Setting Up Your CustomGPT Action

Ready to turn your GPT into a market-savvy assistant? Follow these steps:

Step 1: Get Your API Key

Head over to Alpha Vantage to claim your API key. Treat it like your Netflix password: don’t share it with strangers.

Step 2: Define Your Custom Action

In ChatGPT’s Custom Actions Interface:

1. Navigate to Settings > Custom Actions.

2. Click Create Custom Action.

3. Name it something memorable, like FetchCompanyNews.

Step 3: Write the JSON for Your Action

This JSON defines how your GPT interacts with the API to pull the news data:

{
  "info": {
    "title": "Fetch Company News",
    "version": "1.0.0"
  },
  "name": "fetch_company_news",
  "description": "Retrieve the latest news and sentiment about a specific company using the Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment API.",
  "parameters": {
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "ticker": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "The stock ticker symbol (e.g., AAPL for Apple)."
      },
      "limit": {
        "type": "integer",
        "description": "The number of articles to fetch.",
        "default": 10
      },
      "topic": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "The news topic to filter by (e.g., earnings, technology).",
        "default": null
      },
      "time_from": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "Start time for the news query in YYYYMMDDTHHMM format.",
        "default": null
      },
      "time_to": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "End time for the news query in YYYYMMDDTHHMM format.",
        "default": null
      }
    },
    "required": ["ticker"]
  },
  "servers": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.alphavantage.co"
    }
  ],
  "paths": {
    "/query": {
      "get": {
        "summary": "Fetch news and sentiment data",
        "operationId": "fetchNewsSentiment",
        "parameters": [
          {
            "name": "function",
            "in": "query",
            "required": true,
            "schema": {
              "type": "string",
              "example": "NEWS_SENTIMENT"
            }
          },
          {
            "name": "tickers",
            "in": "query",
            "required": true,
            "schema": {
              "type": "string",
              "example": "{{ticker}}"
            }
          },
          {
            "name": "topics",
            "in": "query",
            "required": false,
            "schema": {
              "type": "string",
              "example": "{{topic}}"
            }
          },
          {
            "name": "time_from",
            "in": "query",
            "required": false,
            "schema": {
              "type": "string",
              "example": "{{time_from}}"
            }
          },
          {
            "name": "time_to",
            "in": "query",
            "required": false,
            "schema": {
              "type": "string",
              "example": "{{time_to}}"
            }
          },
          {
            "name": "limit",
            "in": "query",
            "required": false,
            "schema": {
              "type": "integer",
              "example": "{{limit}}"
            }
          },
          {
            "name": "apikey",
            "in": "query",
            "required": true,
            "schema": {
              "type": "string",
              "example": "YOUR_API_KEY"
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 4: Save and Test

1. Click Save Action in the Custom Actions Interface.

2. Test it by asking something like:

   “What’s the latest news about Tesla (TSLA) on earnings?”

Step 5: Example Output

Here’s what ChatGPT might deliver:

Headline: "Tesla Reports Record Quarterly Earnings"

• Sentiment: Positive

• Summary: Tesla posted record earnings for Q4, driven by increased Model Y deliveries.

Headline: "Tesla's Margins Under Pressure Amid Price Cuts"

• Sentiment: Neutral

• Summary: Analysts weigh in on Tesla’s strategic price reductions.

Pro Tips to Enhance the Experience

1. Defaults for Simplicity: Predefine common values like limit=10 or sort=LATEST.

2. Error Messages: Add friendly fallback messages if the API request fails.

3. Visual Enhancements: Format responses with bullet points or bold text for readability.

With the Alpha Vantage News & Sentiment API integrated into a Custom Action, you’ve created a powerful tool that not only keeps you informed but does so with precision and clarity. Now, you can focus on making decisions instead of digging through the noise.

And hey, while your GPT is busy fetching the latest headlines, you can take a well-deserved break—maybe even check out some real gossip (we won’t judge).