Practical Guide to Data Productization: Building Your Investment Strategy API
In previous installments of this series, we explored the construction of a modern data system for investment research, covering topics from data collection, factor modeling, sentiment integration, to building a strategy engine. In this article, we take a significant step toward productizing the investment research system—transforming our strategy capabilities into a fully functional and accessible Strategy API Service, paving the way for automation, modularization, and service-oriented investment research tools.1. Why Productize Strategies into APIs?As investment research logic grows increasingly complex, internal strategy models are no longer simple scripts. Productizing them into APIs provides several key benefits:Cross-system and cross-language accessibility: APIs enable use across front-end applications, quant modeling systems, or client-side tools.Unified access control and interface governance: Strategically secure and manage access to key assets.Integration with job scheduling systems: Automate strategy updates at specific times (e.g., 9:30 AM daily).Team collaboration and logic reuse: Allow strategy logic to be shared and reused by analysts, PMs, and client teams.Version control and monitoring: Track changes, compare versions, and ensure robust performance under evolving conditions.Essentially, turning strategies into APIs empowers your organization with Strategy-as-a-Service, enabling structured, scalable decision-making.2. Core Components of a Strategy APIA production-ready strategy API service typically consists of the following key modules:ModuleDescriptionAPI LayerExposes an HTTP/RESTful service to handle external requestsCore Strategy LogicHandles scoring, stock screening, signal generation, and calculationsData IntegrationInterfaces with Luckdata API, databases, or cache layersScheduler SystemSupports automatic execution (e.g., daily updates, batch jobs)Security & LoggingAuthentication, rate limiting, access control, logging, and auditingThis modular design allows for clear separation of concerns, scalability, and seamless integration with business tools.3. Building a Simple Strategy APILet’s take a "Sentiment + Financial Factor" strategy and wrap it into a Flask-based API.API Endpoint Design:GET /api/strategy/score?symbols=AAPL,TSLA,NVDAExample Response:[
{"symbol": "AAPL", "score": 0.87, "signal": "BUY"},
{"symbol": "TSLA", "score": 0.63, "signal": "HOLD"},
{"symbol": "NVDA", "score": 0.21, "signal": "SELL"}
]
Sample Code:from flask import Flask, request, jsonify
from strategy_engine import get_scores
app = Flask(__name__)
@app.route('/api/strategy/score')
def score_endpoint():
symbols = request.args.get('symbols', '').split(',')
results = get_scores(symbols)
return jsonify(results)
This API can easily be consumed by internal dashboards, mobile apps, or client platforms.4. Modularizing Strategy LogicThe strategy logic should be modular, reusable, and testable:def get_scores(symbols):
valuation = fetch_valuation_data(symbols)
sentiment = fetch_sentiment_data(symbols)
scores = []
for symbol in symbols:
score = (
0.4 * standardize(valuation[symbol]) +
0.6 * standardize(sentiment[symbol])
)
signal = 'BUY' if score > 0.7 else 'HOLD' if score > 0.4 else 'SELL'
scores.append({"symbol": symbol, "score": round(score, 2), "signal": signal})
return scores
Data can be fetched directly via Luckdata APIs, which offer rich and structured data access:def fetch_valuation_data(symbols):
# Calls APIs like stock/v4/get-statistics
...
def fetch_sentiment_data(symbols):
# Uses news/v2/get-details, insights, etc.
...
Separating data logic from strategy logic ensures maintainability and clarity.5. Scheduling and AutomationUse job schedulers like APScheduler to automate daily strategy updates:from apscheduler.schedulers.background import BackgroundScheduler
def scheduled_task():
symbols = get_watchlist_symbols()
results = get_scores(symbols)
save_to_db('daily_signals', results)
scheduler = BackgroundScheduler()
scheduler.add_job(scheduled_task, 'cron', hour=9, minute=35)
scheduler.start()
Alternatively, integrate with platforms like Airflow or Superset to create a full analytical pipeline.6. Best Practices for Strategy API ProductizationTo make your strategy API scalable, maintainable, and user-friendly, consider the following enhancements:Support multiple strategy types: Use parameters like strategy=low_pe_sentiment to call different strategies.Parameterize inputs: Include time ranges, backtesting windows, filters, etc.Version management: Allow multiple logic versions to coexist, supporting A/B testing and rollback.Role-based access control: Use tokens or internal auth systems to manage user privileges.Monitoring and alerts: Automatically detect errors, empty results, or unusual scores and trigger alerts.Logging and auditing: Track API usage, request logs, and access histories for transparency.These practices will future-proof your API and facilitate seamless collaboration and growth.7. How Luckdata Accelerates Strategy API DevelopmentLuckdata is more than a data source—it’s a strategy API enabler, offering significant advantages in the following areas:ScenarioLuckdata’s RoleData AbstractionUnified API interface, easy data access across marketsQuery EfficiencyStructured fields reduce the need for redundant data cleaningStrategy BacktestingBuilt-in support for performance review and signal visualizationVisual OutputSeamless integration with web pages, Feishu bots, mini-programsAPI ProductizationRapidly build internal or client-facing strategy servicesLuckdata acts as a solid foundation layer for rapidly building and iterating on your investment strategy products.8. Vision: Building Your Strategy EcosystemOnce your strategy API becomes a core organizational capability, you can expand it into a full-scale ecosystem:Internal “Investment Toolbox”: Unified access to multi-strategy, multi-dimensional scoring models.External Intelligent Assistants: Deliver personalized recommendations and strategy-driven insights to clients.BI Integration: Auto-refresh dashboards and visualizations in Superset or Metabase.Semi-Automated Trading: Connect to broker APIs for signal-to-order execution systems.Strategy Platformization: Commercialize APIs by offering access via internal app stores or external subscriptions.This sets the stage for greater efficiency, higher scalability, and smarter investment decisions across your organization.ConclusionProductizing strategies is not the end—it’s the beginning of transforming strategy logic into scalable, reusable, and intelligent services. By turning your scoring, filtering, and signal generation models into standardized APIs, you unlock:Modular MaintenanceRapid Strategy ReuseShared Data ServicesAccelerated Decision-MakingWith the support of the Luckdata platform, all of this becomes not only possible but efficient, controlled, and continuously evolvable.Now is the time to build your own strategy ecosystem.Articles related to APIs :Multi-Factor Integration and Strategy Engine: Building a Data-Driven Investment Decision SystemBuilding an Emotion Signal System: From Market News and Comments to Smart Sentiment ScoringQuantitative Trading Strategy Development and Backtesting Based on Yahu APIBuilding an Intelligent Stock Screening and Risk Alert System: A Full-Process Investment Research Workflow Using Luckdata Yahu APIBuild Your Financial Data System from Scratch: Bring the Financial World into Your Local Project via APIDecoding Deep Stock Insights: Build Your Stock Analysis Radar with the Yahu APIFinancial Forums Aren’t Just Noise: Using the Yahu API to Decode Market Sentiment