VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Monday, October 6, 2025

Head-to-head

BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) vs ORTEX comparison

Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.

Quick takeaways

BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) adds Central Bank Watcher, Housing & Construction, Inflation Rates, and Interest Rates coverage that ORTEX skips.

ORTEX includes Short Interest, Insider Data, Quant, Index Rebalancing, Money Flow, Options & Derivatives, Options, Analyst Recommendations, Analyst Price Targets, News, US Government Trades, Screeners, and Blogs categories that BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) omits.

BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) highlights: SDMX RESTful API for programmatic access to data & metadata; supports JSON, XML, CSV output; interactive API docs provided., Bulk downloads: each topic downloadable as a zipped CSV or SDMX file; topical packages show last‑updated stamps., and Release calendar with upcoming/past releases; exportable (CSV/Excel) and accessible via API; RSS feed available..

ORTEX is known for: Short interest and lending analytics including utilization, cost to borrow, shares on loan, and percentage of free float on loan, with intraday and real-time estimates from a large pool of lenders and brokers., Official U.S. exchange-reported short interest (bi-monthly) and European flagged shorts, alongside lending-based estimates., and Options coverage with unusual activity and flow detection; OPRA-sourced data gated by user agreement to OPRA terms..

ORTEX offers mobile access, which BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) skips.

BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) logo

BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements)

data.bis.org

Official BIS portal for global monetary/financial statistics with an SDMX REST API and bulk downloads. Covers international banking (locational/consolidated), debt securities, credit to the non‑financial sector, global liquidity, exchange‑traded & OTC derivatives, Triennial FX/IR derivatives turnover, property prices, consumer prices, effective/bilateral exchange rates, and central bank statistics (policy rates, total assets). Features include a release calendar (with RSS), shareable query links, bookmarks, custom charts/tables, and export to Excel/CSV/PDF. API adheres to the SDMX REST v2.1 spec; formats include JSON, XML, and CSV.

Platforms

Web
API

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

  • SDMX RESTful API for programmatic access to data & metadata; supports JSON, XML, CSV output; interactive API docs provided.
  • Bulk downloads: each topic downloadable as a zipped CSV or SDMX file; topical packages show last‑updated stamps.
  • Release calendar with upcoming/past releases; exportable (CSV/Excel) and accessible via API; RSS feed available.
  • Portal exports: Excel/CSV for selected time series (up to 4,500 series per export); Tables & Dashboards can be exported as PDF.
  • Code snippets generator (Python/R/Matlab) to fetch selected series via the SDMX API; shareable URLs preserve filters/settings.

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ORTEX logo

ORTEX

public.ortex.com

Hands-on review

Analytics platform focused on short interest and securities lending, with additional coverage of options flow, insider trades, analyst views, and index rebalances. Offers a free tier with limited features, plus paid plans (Basic $39/mo, Advanced $129/mo). Options data is sourced from OPRA and requires agreeing to OPRA terms. API access is available with key-based authentication, and an Excel Add-in (beta) supports short interest data.

Platforms

Web
Mobile
API

Pricing

Free
Subscription

Quick highlights

  • Short interest and lending analytics including utilization, cost to borrow, shares on loan, and percentage of free float on loan, with intraday and real-time estimates from a large pool of lenders and brokers.
  • Official U.S. exchange-reported short interest (bi-monthly) and European flagged shorts, alongside lending-based estimates.
  • Options coverage with unusual activity and flow detection; OPRA-sourced data gated by user agreement to OPRA terms.
  • Alpha trading signals across themes like Short Squeeze, EPS, RSI, MACD, and Company Events, each with back-tested stats and intraday updates.
  • Configurable stock screener including short-interest columns; results can be exported.

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

3 overlaps

Mutual strengths include Data APIs, Calendar, and Data Visualizations.

Where they differ

BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements)

Distinct strengths include:

  • SDMX RESTful API for programmatic access to data & metadata; supports JSON, XML, CSV output; interactive API docs provided.
  • Bulk downloads: each topic downloadable as a zipped CSV or SDMX file; topical packages show last‑updated stamps.
  • Release calendar with upcoming/past releases; exportable (CSV/Excel) and accessible via API; RSS feed available.
  • Portal exports: Excel/CSV for selected time series (up to 4,500 series per export); Tables & Dashboards can be exported as PDF.

ORTEX

Distinct strengths include:

  • Short interest and lending analytics including utilization, cost to borrow, shares on loan, and percentage of free float on loan, with intraday and real-time estimates from a large pool of lenders and brokers.
  • Official U.S. exchange-reported short interest (bi-monthly) and European flagged shorts, alongside lending-based estimates.
  • Options coverage with unusual activity and flow detection; OPRA-sourced data gated by user agreement to OPRA terms.
  • Alpha trading signals across themes like Short Squeeze, EPS, RSI, MACD, and Company Events, each with back-tested stats and intraday updates.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeBIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements)ORTEX
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Data APIs, Calendar, Data Visualizations

Unique: Central Bank Watcher, Housing & Construction, Inflation Rates, Interest Rates

Shared: Data APIs, Calendar, Data Visualizations

Unique: Short Interest, Insider Data, Quant, Index Rebalancing, Money Flow, Options & Derivatives, Options, Analyst Recommendations, Analyst Price Targets, News, US Government Trades, Screeners, Blogs

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Bonds, Currencies, Options, Futures, Commodities, Real Estate, Other

Stocks, ETFs, Options

Experience levels

Who each product is built for

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Platforms

Where you can access the product

Web, API

Web, Mobile, API

Pricing

High-level pricing models

Free

Free, Subscription

Key features

Core capabilities called out by each vendor

Unique

  • SDMX RESTful API for programmatic access to data & metadata; supports JSON, XML, CSV output; interactive API docs provided.
  • Bulk downloads: each topic downloadable as a zipped CSV or SDMX file; topical packages show last‑updated stamps.
  • Release calendar with upcoming/past releases; exportable (CSV/Excel) and accessible via API; RSS feed available.
  • Portal exports: Excel/CSV for selected time series (up to 4,500 series per export); Tables & Dashboards can be exported as PDF.
  • Code snippets generator (Python/R/Matlab) to fetch selected series via the SDMX API; shareable URLs preserve filters/settings.
  • Interactive exploration: search by keyword or series key (supports wildcards), custom tables, multi‑series charts, and break markers on series.

Unique

  • Short interest and lending analytics including utilization, cost to borrow, shares on loan, and percentage of free float on loan, with intraday and real-time estimates from a large pool of lenders and brokers.
  • Official U.S. exchange-reported short interest (bi-monthly) and European flagged shorts, alongside lending-based estimates.
  • Options coverage with unusual activity and flow detection; OPRA-sourced data gated by user agreement to OPRA terms.
  • Alpha trading signals across themes like Short Squeeze, EPS, RSI, MACD, and Company Events, each with back-tested stats and intraday updates.
  • Configurable stock screener including short-interest columns; results can be exported.
  • Live intraday charts with last price and bid/ask displayed.
Tested

Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat

Not yet

Yes

Editor pick

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) and ORTEX both support?

Both platforms cover Data APIs, Calendar, and Data Visualizations workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Do BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) and ORTEX require subscriptions?

Both BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) and ORTEX keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

Which tool has mobile access?

ORTEX ships a dedicated mobile experience, while BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) focuses on web or desktop access.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) differentiates itself with SDMX RESTful API for programmatic access to data & metadata; supports JSON, XML, CSV output; interactive API docs provided., Bulk downloads: each topic downloadable as a zipped CSV or SDMX file; topical packages show last‑updated stamps., and Release calendar with upcoming/past releases; exportable (CSV/Excel) and accessible via API; RSS feed available., whereas ORTEX stands out for Short interest and lending analytics including utilization, cost to borrow, shares on loan, and percentage of free float on loan, with intraday and real-time estimates from a large pool of lenders and brokers., Official U.S. exchange-reported short interest (bi-monthly) and European flagged shorts, alongside lending-based estimates., and Options coverage with unusual activity and flow detection; OPRA-sourced data gated by user agreement to OPRA terms..

Curation & Accuracy

This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).

Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.