Security static data is the part of a financial instrument's record that stays the same, or changes only occasionally, over the instrument's life. It includes the name, the ISIN and other identifiers, the issuer, currency, country, listing venue and, for a bond, terms such as the coupon rate, maturity date and coupon schedule. It is contrasted with dynamic data, chiefly prices and other market data, which change continuously.
Static data is held in the security master file and makes up most of what is called instrument reference data. "Static" is relative: names, identifiers and terms do change after corporate actions, and each change must be applied on the right date. Because trading, settlement, accounting and reporting systems all depend on it, firms source it from vendors and numbering agencies, compare the sources, and keep one approved version as golden source data. Errors here are a frequent cause of failed settlements and misreported positions.