Unfortunately, the GOOGLEFINANCE formula in Google Sheets is not easy to use with stock market indices, such as the S&P 500. A little bit of detective work is required to get index quotes using Google Finance. First you must know who publishes the index and then you must know Google’s ticker for that index. Sometimes, such as in the case of the S&P 500, Google does not use the industry-standard tickers we are all familiar with (SPX).
How To Find The Google Finance Ticker For The S&P 500?
Step 1: Search Google for the S&P 500.
Step 2: Note Google’s code for the index provider and Google’s ticker for the index in the result.
Step 3: Copy and paste this into the Google Finance formula using this format: INDEX PROVIDER: INDEX SYMBOL.
Step 4: The final result: GOOGLEFINANCE("<span class="EFkvDd">INDEXSP:</span><span class="WuDkNe">.INX")</span>
How Do I get Real-Time SPX Quotes?
Google Finance delays their quotes by up to 20 minutes, depending on the symbol. You also can’t control when Google refreshes the data.
How Do I Get Historical Intraday S&P 500 Data With Google Finance?
Unfortunately, you can’t get intraday data with Google Finance.