Introduction to Bloomberg - Cornell University

Introduction to Bloomberg

Online Guides BLOOMBERG SPECIALIST: Tom Ottaviano Business and Economics Librarian, Albert R. Mann Library

Email: tjo65@cornell.edu EMAIL, PHONE OR CHAT Email: mann_ref@cornell.edu

Call: (607) 255-5406 24/7 Chat at

Getting Started with Bloomberg

Bloomberg is a platform designed for financial professionals that provides real-time and historical market data, news, and analysis. Mann Library's Bloomberg Station consists of two terminals that are dedicated solely to using Bloomberg. Due to the high demand for access to Bloomberg, there are sign-up sheets available at the station to determine user priority. When class is not in session, the terminals are first-come first-serve. Other Bloomberg terminals can be found in the Management Library in Sage Hall, and in the Nestle library in Statler Hall

The Keyboard

Bloomberg has somewhat unique functionality that relies on shortcuts & mnemonics typically entered on a specialized Bloomberg keyboard. It is largely a standard keyboard with specific commands marked by the colored buttons on the keyboard. The Green, Yellow, and Red keys will all be used frequently. RED KEYS < CONN DEFAULT> Hit this key to be prompted for login information, or to quickly logout. This typically takes you to the Bloomberg support numbers. GREEN KEYS Green keys are action keys. They tell Bloomberg that a request has been made. works like the 'enter key' - Hit it to activate any function. brings up the headlines that are archived indefinitely. takes you to the MAIN menu or returns to previous menus that you were viewing. It works like a "back" button.

YELLOW KEYS Yellow Keys define the markets. Every financial instrument or index in Bloomberg is accessed by using a ticker symbol and followed by a yellow market sector key (e.g., MSFT )

Creating an account

1. Start by hitting to get to the login screen 2. Click on Create a New Login 3. Fill out the form to create your own account, including a username and password 4. Keep your cell phone handy. Bloomberg will text you a log-in authentication code that you

will need to complete your account creation. If you do not have a cell phone, you can select an option to have a Bloomberg representative call the computer operator's desk in Mann. The number is 607-255-3240. Provide this number on the form. 5. Once you have submitted the form, you will receive a text almost immediately or a call within 5-10 minutes. (note: If you select the option to call the computer operator's desk, the Bloomberg representative will send a confirmation number which you will see on the Bloomberg screen. You will need to read this number off to the representative.) 6. Login with your newly created login information and you are all set!

The Basics

Bloomberg is largely a command and mnemonic driven database. This means that you have to enter commands in a certain format, and that there are "codes" (or mnemonics) to get specific pieces of information. Typically you will have 4 available screens to work from (although more can be added). Select any one of these windows and you can get started.

The format Bloomberg prefers is basically the security identifier (usually a ticker) followed by the market (e.g. Equity, Commodity, Currency, Treasury). Use the Yellow keys to select the Market.

TICKER -> ->

GOOG -> ->

This will take you to that security's Main Menu. You can then use the mouse to explore for the information you want.

As you learn the "codes", it'll become much faster to go directly to a certain piece of information rather than search through the menu. You can add a code at the end of the command line to go to that piece of information directly. For Financial Analysis it looks like this:

GOOG -> -> FA ->

Auto-Complete

If you do not know the Ticker for example, you can start typing in the Company Name, and Autocomplete will give you a number of options to select from. For example, if you start typing in Corning (do not hit ), a drop down list will appear giving you the name of securities with Corning in the Name (in this case GLW US Equity is the main page for Corning).

You can also use Auto-complete to figure out some of the codes. For example GOOG P/E will give you several options for viewing the Price to Earnings ratio for Google.

Bloomberg University

The Command based system that Bloomberg uses does take some getting used to. Because of this, they have developed an in-depth, 8 video training program called the Bloomberg Essentials Training Program (or Bloomberg University). To get there, type in BU in the command line and select the View Training Videos Option.

There are 4 Core Videos that are recommended for everyone; Getting Started, News, Market Monitors and Excel.

There are also 4 Market videos with details on searching for securities in that Market. These are Equity, Fixed Income, Commodity and Forex (or Currency).

Acknowledgement of Completion ("Certification")

There are 5 exams that you can take in Bloomberg University that test your understanding of the Database and to some extent the content. There is a single exam that matches with the 4 "Core Videos", then a single exam for each of the 4 major Market Sectors. To receive an Acknowledgement of Completion for one of the Market Sectors, you must pass the Core Exam, and the exam for that Market Sector. To pass an exam, you must score 75% or higher on that exam.

That means to get "certified" in the Bloomberg Equity module, you must pass the Core Exam and the Equity Exam. To get "certified" in Fixed Income, you must pass the Core and the Fixed Income Exams. Ultimately, you can receive 4 Acknowledgements of Completion, each indicating proficiency in the basic navigation and functionality of Bloomberg, and an understanding of that Market Sector within Bloomberg.

Each video is approximately 30 minutes long, and each exam will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Expect to take over 6 hours (probably closer to 9 or 10 hours) to receive certification in all 4 market sectors.

Bloomberg Help Options Within Bloomberg there are three help options to be aware of:

1. If you come across a concept that is unfamiliar, you can type in the name of that concept then and you will be taken to a description for that concept. For example: Beta Will take you to a definition of Beta and a description of when it is used and its significance.

2. At any data screen hit the key to invoke detailed help on the specific function. For Example: Let's say you are looking for information about mergers and acquisitions

Go to the Mergers and Acquisitions page; MA To learn more about the Mergers and Acquisitions information on this page, hit

3. For more complicated questions, you can seek out live help with a Bloomberg Representative.

Will bring up a live chat screen where you can ask a question and a Bloomberg Rep will respond (usually pretty quickly) with an answer.

What else is available?/Additional Help This tutorial only scratches the surface of Bloomberg's capabilities. There is a very customizable Launchpad (BLP ) that allows you to easily view real time financial data, news and charts for several securities all at once. There are features in Excel that allow you download large quantities of data and to view historical financial data. You can easily customize just about any data in Bloomberg that appears in an amber box. There are ways to export data, there are detailed premade templates for more advanced financial data, and there are several options for visualizing data.

For help with any of these and more, please contact Tom Ottaviano, Mann Library's Business and Economics Librarian, at tjo65@cornell.edu

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