Introduction to Bloomberg  Tags: bloomberg business  

Welcome to the Introduction to Bloomberg Guide!

In the following pages, you will find more information on the Bloomberg database including how to use it, popular codes and how to get help.

If you cannot find what you need, please schedule a consultation with a librarian or send us an e-mail with your question.

Thanks,
Management Library Reference Team

Step 1:	Press the < CONN/DFLT > key in the upper right hand of the keyboard.
Step 2:	Enter the user name and password.  This information will be located next to the terminal.
Step 3:	Press < GO >.

OR

You can create your own personal log-in:

Step 1	Press < GO > without entering a username or password.
Step 2	Provide the information requested.  Be sure to provide your cell phone number.
Step 3	Remain near the terminal to activate the account as Bloomberg will call you to verify the account information within a few minutes.

Please note that you can only use your personal log-in on the terminal on which you created it.

TO LOG-OUT:

Step 1:

Press the < CONN/DFLT > key in the upper right hand of the keyboard.

Bloomberg help is available 24 hours-a-day.

Hit the green < HELP > key twice and a chat window will open. Type in your question and a Bloomberg support specialist will assist you.

 

There are Bloomberg terminals in the Management and Mann libraries. Each library has its own rules regarding usage.

Check to see if there are sign-up sheets, time limits, or even limits on who can use the terminal at the library circulation desk.

Believe it or not, the news feeds in Bloomberg are one of its most popular features.

N < GO > - to get to the main news screen. From here you can specify what kind of news items you want to view.
READ < GO > - to view the most popular news stories on bloomberg.
CN - to view company news. For example JNJ < EQUITY > CN < GO >

Click on the headline to view a story. You can also email or download the stories.

Getting Started Cheatsheets

Getting Started News and Research Tricks, Tips & Shortcuts

 

Getting Started with your job Search?

This cheatsheet may be helpful:

Executive Search

Bloomberg has data on more than 5 million bonds, equities, commodities, currencies & funds. It covers most every publicly traded company in the world, and has profiles on more than a million people.

Navigation in Bloomberg is different from most other databases you use.  Bloomberg is a decentralized command driven system.  The commands are represented by codes.  These codes tell Bloomberg the function you would like the database to perform or the type of information you want on a security or a market for example. The Management Library has posted some of the most popular codes.

Being a decentralized database, there are three things to keep in mind:

1)  Hierarchical nature of information, but not "main" menu.
2)  Each market is its own silo.
3)  With use of a command, you can jump from silo to silo.

 

With over 25,000 codes, the key to becoming an expert Bloomberg user is to memorize the codes you use most often and to know how to get help in Bloomberg to find new codes.  It may seem awkward at first, but as you use Bloomberg more and memorize some of the codes, you will find that it is a time saver.

Learning how to put a command together in Bloomberg is similar to learning another language.  The example below provides the basic structure of a command.