Reuters Instrument Code (RIC) Regex for JavaScript

What this pattern does

This page provides a well-structured, multi-part regular expression for matching reuters instrument code (ric), ported and verified for JavaScript. Financial data validation has zero tolerance for false negatives — a missed invalid entry can corrupt downstream calculations. The snippet below is ready to drop into your JavaScript project — whether you're validating in an Express middleware, a Next.js API route, or a client-side form.

Javascript Implementation

// Reuters Instrument Code (RIC)
// ReDoS-safe | RegexVault — Finance > Securities & Trading

const reutersInstrumentCodeRicRegex = /^[A-Z0-9]{1,12}(?:[a-z0-9]{1,4})?(?:\.[A-Z]{1,4})?$/;

function validateReutersInstrumentCodeRic(input: string): boolean {
  return reutersInstrumentCodeRicRegex.test(input);
}

// Example
console.log(validateReutersInstrumentCodeRic("AAPL.O")); // true

Test Cases

When to use this pattern

This pattern is drawn from the Finance > Securities & Trading category and carries a ReDoS-safe certification. That matters for JavaScript developers because especially critical in long-running Node.js event loops where a ReDoS vulnerability can block the entire process. RegexVault audits patterns against known backtracking attack vectors, ensuring you have the necessary context before using this regex in a high-stakes production environment.

Common Pitfalls

Technical Notes

RIC suffix codes: .O (NASDAQ), .N (NYSE), .L (London), .T (Tokyo), .HK (Hong Kong). Futures continuations use N (nearest) or 1-4 for the contract month. Chain RICs start with 0.