Introduction to Bloomberg

Online Guide (From the Management School)

http://guides.library.cornell.edu/bloomberg_intro

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 http://ask.library.cornell.edu
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 three terminals, two of which 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 and Parker Center in Sage Hall, in the Nestle library
in Statler Hall, and in the Law Library in Myron Taylor 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. Please note that the keyboard may look slightly
different, but the important keys will have the same function.

RED KEYS
< CONN DEFAULT> Hit this key to be prompted for login information, or to quickly logout.
<CANCEL> 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.
<GO> works like the 'enter key' ‐ Hit it to activate any function.
<NEWS> brings up the headlines that are archived indefinitely.
<MENU> 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 <EQUITY>)
Creating an account

1. Start by hitting <GO> 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.
5. Once you have submitted the form, you will receive a text almost immediately or a call within 5-10 minutes.
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.

If you are not looking for a specific security, then you can simply type in the command for the topic you are interested in
and hit go. For example, to search for general news, you can hit the command for news, N, followed by <GO> (this will
take you to the menu for News). Another popular function is the Economic Calendar. The command for the Economic
Calendar is ECO which would also be followed by <GO>.

If you are searching for a specific security, for example Common Stock, 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 -> <Market Sector> -> <GO>

AAPL -> <EQUITY> -> <GO>

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. The
“code” for Financial Analysis is FA, so the command line that you would enter looks like this:

AAPL -> <EQUITY> -> FA -> <GO>

Auto-Complete
If you do not know the Ticker for example, you can start typing in the Company Name, and Auto-complete will give you a
number of options to select from. For example, if you start typing in Corning (do not hit <GO>), a drop down list will
appear giving you the name of securities with Corning in the Name (in this case GLW US <EQUITY> will take you to the
main menu for Corning).

You can also use Auto-complete to figure out some of the commands. For example, GOOG <EQUITY> P/E will give you
several options for viewing the Price to Earnings ratio for Alphabet Inc.
Intermediate Command Line Searches
Different exchanges

All searches that do not include an exchange code will default to the U.S. Composite market. If you want trading data
for a specific exchange, or for an international exchange, you must enter the Exchange Code before the Market. As an
example the New York Stock Exchange has an exchange code of UN. The command line to go to that security’s menu
would then read as:

TICKER -> Exchange Code -> <Market Sector> -> <GO>

DIS -> UN -> <EQUITY> -> <GO>

Please note that this search will fail if the company is not traded on that particular exchange.

Corporate Bonds

Common stock is relatively simple as each company will typically have one security that can be purchased per exchange.
Options, or fixed income securities may have multiple securities per company or issuing entity. In these cases, we may
need to add additional information to the command line to get information back for those securities. One example is a
corporate bond. Companies will release several bonds many of which will have a different maturity date or coupon (or
interest rate). To distinguish between these different bonds we need to add the maturity date or coupon to the
command line. This is what the command line will look like:

TICKER -> Coupon -> Maturity Date -> <Market Sector> -> <GO>

IBM -> 7 -> 10/30/2025 -> <CORP> -> <GO>

This would take you to the menu for this specific IBM bond. Please note that the market sector in this case is <CORP>,
or the Corporate Bond Market rather than the Equity Market. In an instance where you do not know the Coupon or
Maturity date of the security that you are interested in, you can use the Security Finder (command SECF) to find that
information. Alternatively, you can simply go to IBM -> <CORP> -> <GO>, and you will be given a list of all of IBM’s
Corporate Bonds.

Government Bonds

Government Bond Securities follow the same pattern as Corporate Bonds. Here is an example for a German Treasury.

TICKER -> Coupon -> Maturity Date -> <Market Sector> -> <GO>

DBR -> 2 -> 08/15/2023 -> <CORP> -> <GO>

Government Bonds do have shortcuts to make searching for them quicker however. For the U.S. the short cut is GB for
Generic Bills, GT for Generic Treasuries, CB for on-the-run bills, and CT for on-the-run treasuries, each followed by the
security duration.

CT5 -> <GOVT> -> <GO> (for the most recent 5 year Treasury)
GB6 -> <GOVT> -> <GO> (for the generic 6 month bill)
For International treasuries the pattern is:

Generic/On-the-Run -> Currency Code -> Security Duration -> <Market Sector> -> <GO>

CTDEM5Y -> <CORP> -> <GO> (for 5 year on-the-run German Treasuries)

Please note that when using shortcuts, you typically use the country’s currency code (for Germany this is DEM), which is
likely going to be different than their Government’s ticker (which for Germany is DBR).

Options

TICKER -> Expiration Date -> Call/Put -> Strike Price -> <Market Sector> -> <GO>

AAPL 10/21/16 P115 -> <EQUITY> -> <GO>

If you don’t know the expiration date or strike price, or if you want to get a list of all of the options available for a
company, type in the ticker, followed by the market and OMON for the option monitor.

AAPL -> <EQUITY> -> OMON <GO>

Futures

TICKER -> Month Code -> Year -> <Market Sector> -> <GO>

CLV7 -> <COMDTY> -> <GO>

In this case, CL is the Ticker for Crude Oil, V is the Month Code for October and the 7 indicates that it’s a future for the
year 2017.

Forwards

TICKER -> Forward Tenor -> <Market Sector> -> <GO>

EUR3M -> <CURNCY> -> <GO>

This example will take you to the menu of a 3 month forward for the Euro.

Bloomberg Help Options

Within Bloomberg there are several help options to be aware of:

1. For a more in-depth explanation of the functionality of the system, key features for the different market sectors,
instructions for using the Excel API and much more, visit Bloomberg Help and Learning. To get there, type in
BHL <GO>. BHL is the most robust training program built in to Bloomberg, and it is an excellent place to start for
people interested in learning more about the system.

2. If you come across a concept that is unfamiliar, you can type in the name of that concept then <Help> and you
will be taken to a description for that concept. For example:
 Beta <HELP>

Will take you to a definition of Beta and a description of when it is used and its significance.

3. At any data screen hit the <HELP> 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 <GO>

To learn more about the Mergers and Acquisitions information on this page, hit <HELP>

4. There are Cheat sheets built in to Bloomberg to help users learn the most commonly used commands for the
various market sectors. To view these Cheat Sheets, and other help documents, visit the Bloomberg Resource
Center by typing in BRC <GO>.

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

<HELP><HELP>

Will provide you with options for contacting someone at Bloomberg. They will respond within 24 hours.

Bloomberg “Certification”
One of the most common questions we get about Bloomberg is “How do I get certified”? Bloomberg’s certification
program is called “Bloomberg Market Concepts”. It is a 4 module “e-learning course” that offers instruction on areas
critical to financial markets. The modules include Economic Indicators, Currencies, Fixed Income and Equities. Each
module includes a series of videos that illustrate concepts that are important to that particular area of financial
research. Embedded between the videos and at the end of each module are quiz questions that will test understanding
and retention of the content. To access Bloomberg Market Concepts, log-in at one of the terminals and type in BMC ->
<GO>.

The program takes about 8 hours to complete and there is no cost to using the program at one of the Bloomberg
terminals. If you would like to complete the program at home, you can do so for $249 or $149 with an educational
(.edu, .ac) email address.

What else is available?/Additional Help

This tutorial only scratches the surface of Bloomberg’s capabilities. There is a very customizable Launchpad (BLP <GO>)
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

Select Bloomberg Functions & Definitions for:
Equity Idea Generation & Portfolio Functions
MA <GO>
Displays current and historical
merger and acquisition (M&A)
details for public & private
transactions. (click on mergers and
Acquisitions Search)
LEAG <GO>
List underwriter/legal adviser
ranking.
ECDR <GO>
Monitor initial public offerings and
secondary equity offerings to
analyze how to raise capital and
gauge market receptiveness.
ECO <GO>
Display, customize and manage
multiple economic calendars by
region/country/ event on a
historical, current or upcoming
basis.
ECST <GO>
Display current and historical
economic statistics for selected
nations.
BBEA <GO>
Displays a menu for earning
analysis related news. Find
earnings surprises and trends from
selected countries.
BLOOMBERG CHEAT SHEET I
N <GO>
The front page for all news
options.
BBSA <GO>
A search for analyst research including
recommendations, rating changes.
WEI <GO>
Compare regional indices against one
another and determine current and
historical levels.
WPE <GO>
Displays price/earnings ratios
and dividend yields of benchmark
equity indices from around the world.
MOST <GO>
Displays the day’s most active stocks by
volume, the leading advancers and
decliners by percentage or net/gain
loss, and stocks with the most value
traded.
MOV <GO>
Analyze stocks that drive movement of
a selected index to determine which
stocks are under or over‐performing
compared to the index.
EMI <GO>
Monitor current market
information in global equity
markets.
SPX <INDEX> GRR
GRR ranks returns of all industry
groups in a selected index during a
specific time. Substitute the index
symbol SPX with any index you wish
to dissect.
PORT <GO>
Allows you to analyze portfolios that
you’ve already created.
PRTU <GO>
Displays a list of portfolios that
you have created and shared
portfolios.
PFST <GO>
Update, create, or delete a portfolio.
PLST <GO>
Display a list of your portfolios
RVP <GO>
Perform a customized peer group
analysis to benchmark the
company’s performance against
industry. After choosing the portfolio
or equity or index, type RVP at the
cursor and hit <GO>
EQS <GO>
Screen for equity based on
variety of criteria.
Shortcut mnemonic for accessing
main page of a security directly
MSFT US <EQUITY> <GO>
 BLOOMBERG CHEAT SHEET II
Select Bloomberg Functions & Definitions for:

Fundamental & Technical Analysis

Choose a company or security first and then type these functions
Shortcut Example: MSFT US <EQUITY> FA <GO>

BRC <GO>
Search and display research
reports, news stories and
multimedia.
EVTS <GO>
Display corporate events
information for a variety of
companies. Use for earning
announcements.
EE <GO>
Display Bloomberg’s earnings
projections, and third party
projections.
EM <GO>
Compare reported data items
with future estimates in an easy
format.
GUID <GO>
Evaluate a company’s own
estimates in one comprehensive
view.
RV <GO>
Perform customized peer group
analysis to benchmark a company’s
performance or
capital structure against the
industry.
FA <GO>
Evaluate a company’s financials
in one comprehensive and
customizable view that is easier to
chart and analyze.
CH <GO>
Use CH to display the financial
history for a specific company.
BQ <GO>
Display a composite overview
of key price and trade data,
fundamental information, and
news for a selected equity.
CF <GO>
Search for corporate filings by
basic and advanced search
criteria.
DVD <GO>
Display information about a
selected security’s dividend/split
history.
FINL <GO>
Displays information on analytics,
documentation and
training related to equity
fundamentals product.
GPO <GO>
Bar Chart ‐ Graph high, low,
open, and closing historical
prices and two moving averages for
a selected security.
GPC <GO>
Candle Chart ‐ Graph high, low,
open, and closing historical
prices and two moving averages for
a selected security.
CNDL <GO>
Candlestick graph of historical
prices and pattern formations
for a selected security.
GEG <GO>
Display a menu of sample graph
worksheets
G <GO>
Create and maintain customized
technical charts for specific
securities.
 BLOOMBERG CHEAT SHEET III
Select Bloomberg Functions & Definitions for:
Fixed Income Idea Generation & Credit Analysis
TOP <GO>
Display top Bloomberg news
headlines for stories from
market sectors around the
world.
FOMC <GO>
Display announcements and
policy changes carried out by
the Federal Open Market
Committee (FOMC).
NIM <GO>
Monitor new bond and equity
offerings and analyze how to
raise capital in the market
place.
SRCH <GO>
Search Bloomberg’s fixed
income database so that you
can find bonds that best meets
your investment needs.
CDSD <GO>
Set up curve preferences for par
credit default swap spread
curves.
ECO <GO>
Display, customize and manage
multiple economic calendars by
region/country/event on historical,
current or upcoming
basis.
<GOVT> <GO>
The yellow sector key that takes
you to the main menu of all
government security functions.
YCRV <GO>
Display bond, money market,
swap, municipal fair market, or
corporate fair market yield
curves that you can use for relative
value comparisons on
both a current and historical
basis.
FWCV <GO>
Analyze projected forward
rates for fair market curves,
interest rate swap curves, and
government curves.
NI CRA <GO>
Search and display news stories,
research reports, and multimedia
presentations on corporate and
country debt ratings.
NI DRA <GO>
Search and display news
stories, research reports, and
multimedia presentations on
bond and loan ratings.
RATC <GO>
Display a list of current and
historical credit ratings for
various issuers.
RELS <GO>
Overview of a company’s capital
structure including detailed
company description.
CF <GO>
Search for corporate filings by
basic and advanced search criteria.
DDIS <GO>
Display maturity distribution of
outstanding debt and loans for a
selected issuer.
WCDS <GO>
Monitor current values and
changes to credit default swap
spreads and compare issuers’
historical spreads or term
structure of interest rates.