FWIW, I get the same: gretl version 2017b-git Current session: 2017-05-21 19:21 ? A = \ readfile(" https://query1.finance.yahoo.com/v7/finance/download/A2A.MI?period \ 1=1492780919&period2=1495372919&interval=1d&events=history&crumb=5FqmQx4/jF6" \ ) Generated string A ? print A { "finance": { "error": { "code": "Unauthorized", "description": "Invalid cookie" } } } C On 21 May 2017 at 14:29, guido giaume <guido(a)giaume.it&gt; wrote: -- Clive Nicholas "My colleagues in the social sciences talk a great deal about methodology. I prefer to call it style." -- Freeman J. Dyson