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Version: 1.

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Last Updated: 5/19/2016
BLOOMBERG OPEN API – CORE USER GUIDE

Core Developer Guide

Enterprise User Guide

Enterprise Developer Guide

Publishing User Guide

Publishing Developer Guide

Reference Guide — Bloomberg Services and Schemas

All materials including all software, equipment and documentation made available by Bloomberg are for informational purposes only. Bloomberg and its
affiliates make no guarantee as to the adequacy, correctness or completeness of, and do not make any representation or warranty (whether express or
implied) or accept any liability with respect to, these materials. No right, title or interest is granted in or to these materials and you agree at all times to
treat these materials in a confidential manner. All materials and services provided to you by Bloomberg are governed by the terms of any applicable
Bloomberg Agreement(s).

©2016 BLOOMBERG L.P. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2

BLOOMBERG OPEN API – CORE USER GUIDE

Contents
Related Documents ................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Contents .................................................................................................................................................................................. 3
1. About This Guide............................................................................................................................................................. 5
2. API Capabilities ............................................................................................................................................................... 5
2.1. Request/Response .................................................................................................................................................. 5
2.2. Subscription............................................................................................................................................................. 5
2.3. Publishing ................................................................................................................................................................ 5
3. Symbology....................................................................................................................................................................... 5
3.1. Nomenclature .......................................................................................................................................................... 5
3.2. Symbology for Bloomberg Securities ...................................................................................................................... 5
3.3. Agency Security Identifier Usage ............................................................................................................................ 7
3.3.1. Bloomberg Open Symbology .......................................................................................................................... 7
3.3.2. ISIN.................................................................................................................................................................. 7
3.3.3. CUSIP (ID_CUSIP) ......................................................................................................................................... 7
3.3.4. SEDOL ............................................................................................................................................................ 7
3.4. Loading a Security................................................................................................................................................... 8
3.5. Yellow Keys ........................................................................................................................................................... 10
3.5.1. [Govt] — Government securities ................................................................................................................... 10
3.5.2. [Corp] ............................................................................................................................................................. 11
3.5.3. [Mtge] ............................................................................................................................................................ 13
3.5.4. [M-Mkt] — Money Market .............................................................................................................................. 14
3.5.5. [Muni] ............................................................................................................................................................. 15
3.5.6. [Pfd] — Bloomberg’s Preferreds Platform ..................................................................................................... 16
3.5.7. [Equity] .......................................................................................................................................................... 17
3.5.8. [Comdty] — Commodity ................................................................................................................................ 19
3.5.9. [Index] — Bloomberg Indexes ....................................................................................................................... 21
3.5.10. [Curncy] — Currency ..................................................................................................................................... 22
3.5.11. Futures (Not a key) ........................................................................................................................................ 23
3.5.12. Options (Not a key) ....................................................................................................................................... 26
3.5.13. Pages (Not a key) .......................................................................................................................................... 29
3.6. Fields ..................................................................................................................................................................... 31
3.6.1. Looking up Bloomberg fields using FLDS <GO> .......................................................................................... 31
3.7. Parameter Overrides ............................................................................................................................................. 31
3.8. Historical Dates ..................................................................................................................................................... 31
4. Subscription Options ..................................................................................................................................................... 33
5. Schema ......................................................................................................................................................................... 34
6. Bloomberg API Products ............................................................................................................................................... 35
6.1. B-PIPE ................................................................................................................................................................... 35
6.2. DDM ...................................................................................................................................................................... 35
6.2.1. B-PIPE/Platform Packages ........................................................................................................................... 36
6.3. Server API ............................................................................................................................................................. 36
6.4. Desktop API .......................................................................................................................................................... 37

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7. API Features ................................................................................................................................................................. 37

7.1. Intervalization ........................................................................................................................................................ 37
7.2. API Conflation ....................................................................................................................................................... 38

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BLOOMBERG OPEN API – CORE USER GUIDE

1. About This Guide

The Core API User Guide is designed to help explain the concepts behind the Bloomberg L.P. API. Other guides will
detail Bloomberg products and coding to the API.
The Bloomberg API uses an event-driven model. The interface is thread-safe and thread-aware, giving applications the
ability to utilize multiple processors efficiently. The Bloomberg API automatically breaks large results into smaller chunks
and can provide conflated streaming data to improve bandwidth usage and the latency of applications.
The Bloomberg API supports runtime downloadable schemas for the services it provides and methods to query these
schemas at runtime. Thus the Bloomberg API can support additional services without additions to the interface. It also
makes writing applications that can adapt to changes in services or entirely new services simple.

2. API Capabilities
2.1. REQUEST/RESPONSE
Data is requested by issuing a Request and is returned in one or more Messages—based on response size. A wide
variety of Requests is available from reference to historic. Some of these features are not available to all users on all
products.

2.2. SUBSCRIPTION
For most services, a Subscription is created that results in an initial starting value for all fields requested, followed by a
stream of updates as the values change until the Subscription is explicitly cancelled (unsubscribed) by the application.

2.3. PUBLISHING
The Bloomberg API allows customer applications to publish page-based, record-based data, as well as any other client-
designed data. This data can then be consumed as per any Bloomberg-provided data. Customer data can be published
for distribution within the customer’s enterprise, contributed to the Bloomberg infrastructure, distributed to others or used
for warehousing. This is done via the suitable Bloomberg Platform product. Publishing applications might simply broadcast
data or they can be “interactive,” responding to feedback from the infrastructure about the currently active Subscriptions
from data consumers. Contributions and local Publishing/Subscribing via the Bloomberg Platform are outside the scope of
this course and will be discussed in their own course.

3. Symbology
3.1. NOMENCLATURE
Access to data via the API is keyed by a topic. This topic may only contain alpha numerics, non-leading spaces and ‘/’.
All topics begin with “//” followed by provider name, a “/”, the provider service name, a “/” and the unique Identifier within
that particular service.
The API allows setting a default provider name and service name in which case just the unique identifier can be used. For
example, “//blp/mktdata/IBM US Equity” can be accessed as “IBM US Equity” if “//blp/mktdata” is set as
default.

3.2. SYMBOLOGY FOR BLOOMBERG SECURITIES

Subscriptions and Requests for data can access financial instruments, “securities”, by a number of identifiers for the same
security. A security must conform to the following syntax:

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/<Identifier Type>/<Identifier Value>[@Provider| Pricing Source] <Yellow Key>

<Identifier Type> One of the following:

 ticker
 cusip
 isin
 sedol1/sedol2
 buid
 bbgid
 bsym
 cats
 cins
 common
 sicovam
 svm
 wpk

<Identifier Value> Unique identifier value according to <Identifier Type>. For /ticker—
this is the Ticker name and is required.
[Provider] Optional mnemonic that has contributed pricing for the given
security preceded by a “@”. If <Provider> is not specified, a
default value may apply depending on product.
[Pricing Source] Optional, generally two-character mnemonic for the data source
where the security is traded. For example, in the Equities Business,
the Data Source is the Exchange.
<Yellow Key> Text equivalent of one of the Bloomberg yellow function keys:
 Govt
 Corp
 Mtge
 M-Mkt
 Muni
 Pfd
 Equity
 Comdy
 Index
 Curncy
The default identifier type for a security is the Bloomberg Ticker format, for example, “IBM US Equity”. This would be
equivalent to “/ticker/IBM US Equity”. Since all data is provided on services, this can be fully expanded to
“//blp/mktdata/ticker/IBM US Equity”.

 For reference data, it would be “//blp/refdata/ticker/IBM US Equity”.

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3.3. AGENCY SECURITY IDENTIFIER USAGE

Several agencies provide identifiers for Bloomberg to disseminate to users who have arrangements with these agencies,
many of them may be used to reference a unique security although agency coverage maybe limited. In addition,
Bloomberg provides its own unique identifier in addition to its descriptive nomenclature.
ISIN is used to search for International Securities Identification Numbering System (ISIN) codes for corporate and
government securities. All data is supplied by GIAM, an organization of numbering agencies that provides a central place
for security identification codes. ISIN is an internal function for QC purposes.
The Committee on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures (CUSIP) identifier is assigned by the CUSIP Service Bureau
for U.S. and Canadian companies. It consists of nine alpha-numeric characters. The first six characters identify the issuer,
the following two identify the issue and the final character is a check digit.

3.3.1. BLOOMBERG OPEN SYMBOLOGY

▪ UNIQUE, NON-CHANGING identifier that covers all GLOBAL financial instruments— available through Bloomberg’s
website, with no restrictions on usage and free of charge.
▪ Based on same identifiers used in Bloomberg Professional service, Enterprise Data Products.
▪ Identifiers can be used for research, trading and mapping. Bloomberg will continue to update, build and administer the
BSYM identifiers to ensure their accuracy and effectiveness.

3.3.2. ISIN
A 12-character identifier assigned by the local national numbering agency. The International Securities Identification
Number (ISIN) consists of a two-letter country code, followed by the nine character alphanumerical national security
identifier and a check digit (for example: US4592001014).
Equity Options: ISIN is supported for BMF, South Korea and certain European equity option exchanges only.
API: current value available.

3.3.3. CUSIP (ID_CUSIP)

This is the security identification number for the U.S. and Canada. The Committee on Uniform Security Identification
Procedures (CUSIP) number consists of nine alpha-numeric characters (for example: 459200101). The first six characters
identify the issuer, the following two identify the issue and the final character is a check digit.
Comdty: The Ticker will be returned.
Index: For some indices, the Ticker will be returned.
Loans: Loan CUSIP assigned via the public CUSIP feed only.

3.3.4. SEDOL
Stock Exchange Daily Official List number (SEDOL) issued by the London Stock Exchange to identify foreign stocks,
especially those that are not actively traded in the U.S. and do not have a CUSIP number. SEDOL numbers issued prior
to March 8, 2004, have seven digits. SEDOLs issued after this date have seven alphanumeric characters, with the first
character always a letter. This SEDOL is associated with the country listed in the field SEDOL1 ISO Country (ID208,
SEDOL1_COUNTRY_ISO).
A security can have multiple SEDOL numbers assigned to it. The order in which the various SEDOL fields (ID_SEDOL1,
ID_SEDOL2, ID_SEDOL3, ID_SEDOL4 and ID_SEDOL5) are populated does not have any real significance. It simply
depends on the order in which they are assigned by the SEDOL Master file.

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API: current value available.

3.4. LOADING A SECURITY

Securities are the financial instruments that users can analyze with the use of functions. To analyze a security, users must
first load the security and then run a function.
There are several ways to load a security:
1. Command Line Autocomplete: In the command line, start typing the issuer name or a keyword for the security a
user wants to load, and then select a match from the list that appears.

Figure 1: Command Line Autocomplete

For example, to load BAC 6.625 12/31/49 <Pfd>, enter BANK OF AMERICA in the command line, then select the
security that is desired from the list of suggestions.
 Note: To refine the list of security matches to those most relevant to a specific market sector, press the
associated <Yellow Key>.

2. Security Finder (SECF): To search Bloomberg’s database of security tickers using basic lookup criteria, enter
SECF <GO>. For preferred securities, select the FI tab, then select the Pfd sub-tab.

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Figure 2: Preferred Security

3. (Ticker) <Yellow Key> <GO>: To directly load a security if the user already knows the Ticker, enter the Ticker in
the command line, press the security’s yellow market sector key, then press <GO>.
For example, to directly load the HSBC Holdings preferred security with a coupon of 8% and a perpetual maturity,
enter HSBC 8 12/31/49 <Pfd>.
Note: On Bloomberg, preferred securities with a perpetual maturity use 12/31/49 as a maturity date.
4. Additionally, shortcuts are available to help users quickly load securities.

Shortcuts
In addition to the methods above, to load any type of security on Bloomberg, shortcuts and tips designed specifically to
assist in finding securities are available.
Users can use the following shortcuts and tips to find and load securities:
▪ (Unique Identifier) <Yellow Key> <GO>: To directly load a security if a user already knows a unique identifier
assigned to the security, such as a Committee on Uniform Security Identification Procedures (CUSIP) number, an
International Securities Identification Number (ISIN) or a Bloomberg ID (BBGID), enter the identifier in the command
line, press the yellow key, then press <GO>.
▪ For example, to load the preferred security assigned CUSIP 060505344, enter 060505344 <Pfd> <GO>.
▪ ID (Unique Identifier) <GO>: To directly load a security if a user already knows a unique identifier assigned to the
security, such as a Committee on Uniform Security Identification Procedures (CUSIP) number, an International
Securities Identification Number (ISIN) or a Bloomberg ID (BBGID), in the command line enter ID followed by the
identifier, then press <GO>.
▪ For example, to load the preferred security assigned CUSIP 060505344, enter ID 060505344 <GO>.
 The ID (Unique Identifier) shortcut applies to all fixed income securities with unique identifiers.

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3.5. YELLOW KEYS

Bloomberg segregates securities into different sectors identified by shortcut keys on the keyboard. Historically, these keys
were yellow on a Bloomberg-provided keyboard, so this nomenclature is sometimes called “Yellow Key”.
Yellow Keys are used to create the Bloomberg Symbology and can be denoted as “Parsekeyable”.
Yellow key is one of the following:

Yellow Key Shortcut Description

Govt <F2> Government Bonds

Corp <F3> Corporate Bonds, CDS

Mtge <F4> Mortgages

M-Mkt <F5> Money market

Muni <F6> Municipals and state bonds

Pfd <F7> Preferred securities

Equity <F8> Equities

Comdty <F9> Commodities & Futures

Index <F10> Generic interest rates, Economic indices such as CPI, GDP, Equity, Indices

Curncy <F11> Foreign currency

 Note that Yellow Keys are case sensitive and must be spelled exactly like the above.
Defaults to change the default behavior are available on the Terminal for all products, with the exception of B-PIPE
applications.

3.5.1. [GOVT] — GOVERNMENT SECURITIES

Bloomberg’s suite of Sovereign <Govt> functionality allows users to analyze government bonds, country-specific debt and
related derivatives for a complete picture of the rates environment. User can use Bloomberg's real-time rates monitors
and sovereign yield curve analytics to track sovereign spreads, value fixed income securities relative to government
bonds and evaluate the course of interest rates. Bloomberg’s Library of Generic Tickers strings together the yield histories
of on-the-run and off-the-run bonds, allowing users to analyze yield trends over time.
Perpetual bonds are currently set up with maturity year 2049.
Creating a Parsekeyable for a: 10-Year US Treasury, maturing in May 2024, coupon 2.5, source BVAL
Issuer x Coupon x Maturity x Provider x Yellow Key
T 2.5 05/15/24 @BVAL Govt

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3.5.1.1. [GOVT] EXAMPLES

Identifier Terminal API

Parsekeyable: EK709657@BVAL Govt //blp/mktdata/ticker/EK709657@BVAL Govt

BBGID: BBG007Z1JW11@BVAL Govt //blp/mktdata/bbgid/BBG007Z1JW11@BVAL

ISIN: US38148LAC00@BVAL Govt //blp/mktdata/isin/US38148LAC00@BVAL

CUSIP: 38148LAC@BVAL Govt //blp/mktdata/cusip/38148LAC@BVAL
SEDOL: BVGCLY7@BVAL Govt //blp/mktdata/sedol/BVGCLY7@BVAL

3.5.1.2. [GOVT] LOOKUP

Govt TK <GO> To find government bonds

SRCH <GO> Bond Search (Not available on limited functionality Terminal)

3.5.1.3. [GOVT] DEFAULTS

FMPS <GO> Pricing source per bond classes

PDFG <GO> Default settings for Govt Bonds

3.5.2. [CORP]
Bloomberg's suite of Credit <Corp> functionality provides an integrated fixed income platform to support user’s workflow
from idea generation to execution. Access to market-moving news, research and economic data combined with real-time
market monitors, yield curve analytics and fundamental data provide a broad market perspective that can help shape the
user’s investment strategies and trigger new trade ideas.
CDS
Issuer x CDS x Currency x Debt Type x Tenor x Pricing Source x Yellow Key
MS CDS USD SR 5Y CBVAL Corp
BARC CDS EUR SUB 5Y CBVAL Corp

CDS Indices (iTraxx)

Type x (Currency or Grade) x CDSI x Series x Tenor x Pricing Source x Yellow Key
ITRX EUR CDSI GEN 5Y CBVAL Corp
CDX IG CDSI S12 5Y CBVAL Corp

CDS and CDS indices are covered by both <Corp> or <Curncy> as follows:
CDS/CDS Indices Description

MS CDS USD SR 5Y CBVAL Corp Morgan Stanley CDS USD Senior 5-Year, Source CBVAL
or CMWD1U5 CBVAL Curncy

ITRX EUR CDSI GEN 5Y Corp Markit iTraxx Europe Generic 5-year CDS Index
or ITRXEBE Curncy

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3.5.2.1. [CORP] EXAMPLES

Identifier Terminal API

Parsekyable: EK709657@BVAL Corp //blp/mktdata/ticker/EK709657@BVAL Corp

BBGID: BBG007Z1JW11@BVAL Corp //blp/mktdata/bbgid/BBG007Z1JW11@BVAL

ISIN: US38148LAC00@BVAL Corp //blp/mktdata/isin/US38148LAC00@BVAL

CUSIP: 38148LAC@BVAL Corp //blp/mktdata/cusip/38148LAC@BVAL

SEDOL: BVGCLY7@BVAL Corp //blp/mktdata/sedol/BVGCLY7@BVAL

3.5.2.2. [CORP] LOOKUP

The functions SECF <GO> and TK <GO> are frequently used to conduct security lookups.
CORP <GO> To find corporate bonds
MRKT <GO> Contributor’s page

3.5.2.3. [CORP] DEFAULTS

FMPS <GO> Pricing source per bond classes

CDSD <GO> Pricing source for CDS and CDS indices

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3.5.3. [MTGE]
Bloomberg’s suite of Mortgage <Mtge> functionality provides an integrated Platform to support a user’s workflow from
idea generation to decision making. Access to market-moving news, research and economic data combined with real-time
market monitors and interest rate analytics provide the broad market perspective that can help shape the user’s
investment strategies and trigger new trade ideas.
The security type that is on the Mtge yellow key is mainly mortgage-backed securities. Within this category are Residential
MBS (RMBS), ABS, Commercial MBS (CMBS), CDO, CLO, Pools, Generic and TBAs (to be announced).
 Note that the most of Mortgage Tickers are currently available to Bloomberg users only on B-PIPE, with the data
being available through Data License. Mortgage data is available via Server API.

Asset Class Identifier Format

ALL CUSIP x Yellow Key
312945LM8 Mtge
CMO/ABS Issuer x Year – Series x Class x Yellow Key
FNR 2012-3 NP Mtge
Pool Pool Ticker x Pool Number x Yellow Key
FG A96632 Mtge
Generic Ticker x Coupon x Age* or Production Year x Yellow Key
FGLMC 3.5 2011 Mtge
*Age can be specified as Blank (Aggregate), S (Seasoned), N (Non-seasoned), M (Moderately
Seasoned)

TBA Ticker x Coupon x MM/YY x Yellow Key

FNCL 2 3/15 Mtge

3.5.3.1. [MTGE] EXAMPLES

Identifier Terminal API

Parsekyable: EK709657@BVAL Mtge //blp/mktdata/ticker/EK709657@BVAL Mtge

BBGID: BBG007Z1JW11@BVAL Mtge //blp/mktdata/bbgid/BBG007Z1JW11@BVAL

ISIN: US38148LAC00@BVAL Mtge //blp/mktdata/isin/38148LAC@BVAL

CUSIP: 38148LAC@BVAL Mtge //blp/mktdata/cusip/38148LAC@BVAL

SEDOL: BVGCLY7@BVAL Mtge //blp/mktdata/sedol/BVGCLY7@BVAL

3.5.3.2. [MTGE] LOOKUP

Mtge TK <GO> —This is a Mortgage Ticker lookup where the user can find a list of Tickers for Pool, Agency CMO,
Generic and TBAs.

3.5.3.3. [MTGE] DEFAULTS

MDF <GO>— Mortgage default settings.

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3.5.4. [M-MKT] — MONEY MARKET

This is an international market for dealers who trade short-term government and corporate financial instruments like
bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper, negotiable certificates of deposit or Treasury bills. These instruments are
considered the safest and most liquid of investments. This segment of the financial market trades financial instruments
with high liquidity and very short maturities. The money market is used by participants as a means for borrowing and
lending in the short term—from several days to just under a year.
This covers short-term government and corporate debts such as bankers’ acceptance, certificate of deposit, commercial paper,
medium-term notes, bank notes, deposit notes, time deposits, short-term loans.

Issuer x Type x Yellow Key

CCEINC CP M-Mkt

3.5.4.1. [M-MKT] EXAMPLES

Description Terminal API

Coca-Cola Enterprises, CCEINC CP M-Mkt //blp/mktdata/ticker/CCEINC CP M-Mkt
Commercial Paper

Bank of America, Bank Note BACNA BN M-Mkt //blp/mktdata/ticker/BACNA BN M-Mkt

Bank of Western Australia, RIBKWA TDR M-Mkt //blp/mktdata/ticker/RIBKWA TDR M-Mkt

Term Deposits

3.5.4.2. [M-MKT] LOOKUP

MMPL <GO> — Money Market Security Menu. The function PGM <GO> is also frequently used to look up money market
programs.

3.5.4.3. [M-MKT] DEFAULTS

None.

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3.5.5. [MUNI]
The <MUNI> yellow key is specifically dedicated to U.S. municipal bonds. Most of the munis are only available to
Bloomberg users on B-PIPE; the data is available via Data License. Municipal data is available via Server API.

Muni Description
969737BS Muni Williamson County, IL. Build America Bonds-Taxable-Alt rev source B-direct
pmt

59259YBZ Muni MET Transport Auth NY Revenue Build America Bonds

249174MQ Muni Denver City & Country SCH Dist #1, Taxable-SER C-Build America Bonds
Direct Pmt to issuer

8-character CUSIP Number x Yellow Key

969737BS Muni

3.5.5.1. [MUNI] EXAMPLES

Identifier Terminal API

Parsekyable: EK709657@BVAL Muni //blp/mktdata/ticker/EK709657@BVAL Muni

BBGID: BBG007Z1JW11@BVAL Muni //blp/mktdata/bbgid/BBG007Z1JW11@BVAL

ISIN: US38148LAC00@BVAL Muni //blp/mktdata/isin/US38148LAC00@BVAL

CUSIP: 38148LAC@BVAL Muni //blp/mktdata/cusip/38148LAC@BVAL

SEDOL: BVGCLY7@BVAL Muni //blp/mktdata/sedol/BVGCLY7@BVAL

3.5.5.2. [MUNI] LOOKUP

MSRC <GO> — A Muni Search (not available on limited functionality Terminal). The function SMUN <GO> is also
frequently used to conduct security lookups.

3.5.5.3. [MUNI] DEFAULTS

PDFI <GO> —The Municipal Bond system default.

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3.5.6. [PFD] — BLOOMBERG’S PREFERREDS PLATFORM

Bloomberg’s suite of Preferreds <Pfd> functionality provides an integrated platform to support user’s workflow from idea
generation to execution. Access to market-moving news, research and economic data combined with real-time market
monitors and yield curve analytics provide the broad market perspective that can help shape the user’s investment
strategies and trigger new trade ideas.
Pfd key covers all Preferred shares issued by a corporation. Please note that some Preferred (also called as Preference)
shares are covered by Equity key, depending on the characteristics of the security.
If the user already knows an identifier of Preferred, and if unsure of which yellow key the security belongs to, it is best to
use “ID” followed by identifier <GO> to load the security on the screen. If user then runs the FLDS <GO> function, the top
left of the screen will display the Ticker with Pfd or Equity.

Preferred Share Description

MS 6 ⅝ 12/31/49 <PFD> Morgan Stanley Preferred Share, Perpetual, Coupon 6.625

Issuer x Coupon x Maturity x Provider x Yellow Key

MS 6.625 12/31/49 @EXCH Pfd

3.5.6.1. [PFD] EXAMPLES

Identifier Terminal API

Parsekyable: EK709657@BVAL Pfd //blp/mktdata/ticker/EK709657@BVAL Pfd

BBGID: BBG007Z1JW11@BVAL Pfd //blp/mktdata/bbgid/BBG007Z1JW11@BVAL

ISIN: US38148LAC00@BVAL Pfd //blp/mktdata/isin/US38148LAC00@BVAL

CUSIP: 38148LAC@BVAL Pfd //blp/mktdata/cusip/38148LAC@BVAL

SEDOL: BVGCLY7@BVAL Pfd //blp/mktdata/sedol/BVGCLY7@BVAL

3.5.6.2. [PFD] LOOKUP

PSCH <GO> — Preferred Security Find (not available on limited functionality Terminal)
The yellow market sector keys on the Bloomberg keyboard represent pathways to rich databases of information organized
by market sector. The yellow <Pfd> key allows users to load a preferred security for analysis.
The following topics explain how to find, load and search for <Pfd> market securities.

3.5.6.3. [PFD] DEFAULTS

PDFD <GO> — Preferred Default settings.

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3.5.7. [EQUITY]
Instruments covered under the Equity key include stocks (listed and OTC), American Depositary Receipts (ADRs)/Global
Depositary Receipts (GDRs), closed-ended funds, Exchange-traded funds, options, warrants, open-ended mutual funds
and hedge funds.
Equity Description

VOD LN Equity Vodafone Group PLC, listed on London Stock Exchange

IBM UN Equity International Business Machines Corporation, listed on NYSE
SMSD LI Equity Samsung Electronics Co., LTD, listed on London International
IWM US Equity iShares Russell 2000 ETF, US Composite
6758 JT Equity Sony Corp, listed on Tokyo Stock Exchange

Root Ticker x Exchange Code x Yellow Key

SIE GR Equity
Most Equity Bloomberg Ticker symbols are based on short alphabetic codes that reflect the company name. This is
followed by an identifier that indicates where the instrument is traded.
In most cases, the Ticker symbol is the same as the code used by the Exchange. For this reason, some Bloomberg Ticker
codes are numeric, i.e., Japan, Korea, Tokyo, China and Hong Kong.
In all of those cases, the characters preceding the country code are the Ticker root and the characters after are the
Exchange code identifier.
Mutual Funds Description

PIMTRAI ID Equity PIMCO Total Return Bond Fund

MERGAAI LX Equity BlackRock Global Funds — Global Allocation Fund
CFODEYI LN Equity CF Odey Absolute Return Fund
STGLOBS NO Equity SKAGEN Global Fund

Root Ticker x Exchange Code x Yellow Key

71311998 JP Equity

Mutual and hedge fund Tickers on Bloomberg consist of a proprietary 7-character Ticker root symbol code that, as much
as possible, is made up of the first characters of the asset management company’s name as well as the fund’s name.
Asian funds tend to have 8-digit numbers as root symbol code. If there are different share classes, then the share class
type is also incorporated within the Ticker root symbol. This is again followed by the Exchange code, which for open-
ended funds represents the country code of the country of domicile of the fund.
For example:
FIDSPSA LN Equity — Fidelity Investment Funds ICVC – Special Situations Fund – Accumulation (A) Retail Shares
FIDESSY LN Equity — Fidelity Investment Funds ICVC – Special Situations Fund – Accumulation (Y) Retail Shares
FIDSPWA LN Equity — Fidelity Investment Funds ICVC – Special Situations Fund – Accumulation (W) Retail Shares
Certain U.S. hedge funds’ data is protected by SEC under Regulation D. To be able to view or consume its data via
Bloomberg, customers would need to be registered as Accredited Investors (investors who are financially sophisticated
and have a reduced need for the protection provided by certain government filings).

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3.5.7.1. [EQUITY] EXAMPLES

Underlying Equity

Identifier Terminal API

Parsekyable: IBM UN Equity //blp/mktdata/ticker/IBM UN Equity

BBGID: BBG000BLNQ16 Equity //blp/mktdata/bbgid/BBG000BLNQ16

ISIN: US4592001014 UN Equity //blp/mktdata/isin/US4592001014 UN

CUSIP: 459200101 UN Equity //blp/mktdata/cusip/459200101 UN

SEDOL: 2005973 UN Equity //blp/mktdata/sedol/2005973

BSYM: N/A //blp/mktdata/bsym/UN/IBM

3.5.7.2. [EQUITY] LOOKUP

Search by Company Name
An equity instrument can be located on Bloomberg by using its name and the green <HELP> key, e.g., Bayerische
Motoren Werke <HELP>; click on the second option 2) Companies and select the company from the list of securities.
Search by Ticker or Another Identifier (e.g., ISIN, SEDOL, CUSIP, etc.) Symbol
An equity instrument can be located on Bloomberg by using its identifiers.
Start typing, e.g., BMW (ticker)/DE0005190003 (ISIN)/5756029 DE (Sedol)/ 519000 (WPK Number) followed by the
primary symbol exchange code Equity <GO>.

3.5.7.3. [EQUITY] DEFAULTS

PDFE <GO> Historical convention defaults and quick links to other settings for equity
DPDF <GO> Dividend and Corporate Action settings

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3.5.8. [COMDTY] — COMMODITY

Bloomberg keeps users on top of the ever-changing commodities market with data, analytic functions, news and research.
Bloomberg provides data from a wide range of third-party sources as well as proprietary calculations, such as for fair
values, and fast-breaking news that moves markets. The package of analytic functions, fast-moving data and news helps
users to mold trading, hedging and investment ideas, which they can then ultimately execute on the Bloomberg electronic
trading Platform.
Instruments such as “spot” metals, energy (coal, gas power, etc.), agricultural products, freight, weather and any other
instruments are considered to be spot commodities. The majority of Tickers are stored under the Index yellow key, but
some instruments are stored under Comdty key: Comdty

Spot Commodities Description

GOLDS Comdty Gold Spot

CMDIBASS Index Bloomberg Base Metals Spot Price Comdty Index

CMAGTR Index UBS Bloomberg CMCI Agriculture USD Total Return

IFTD3DBM Index Imarex TD3 Bal of Month Arabian Gulf to Japan (VLCC) Shipping Rate $/Day

3.5.8.1. [COMDTY] EXAMPLES

Description Terminal API

90DAY EURO$ FUTR EDZ5 COMB Comdty //blp/mktdata/ticker/EDZ5 COMB Comdty
Dec15

S&P 500 FUTURE Dec15 SPZ5 ELEC Index //blp/mktdata/ticker/SPZ5 ELEC Index

EURO FX CURR FUT ECZ5 PIT Curncy //blp/mktdata/ticker/ECZ5 PIT Curncy

Dec15

3.5.8.2. [COMDTY] LOOKUP

MRKT <GO> Find the landing page of contributor

Auto-complete & Help Key Type in keyword and auto-complete will suggest Tickers

Bloomberg’s Commodities Search functionality is broken down into different databases that cover a wide array of items,
such as futures contracts, energy assets, storm and weather coverage, and power data, which users can use to search an
extensive list of Tickers and assets. After accessing Tickers, they can develop their analysis with related data, charts,
research and news, as well as real-time chat rooms with commodities professionals. Sector-specific monitors and
analytics help narrow their focus, so they target exactly the data they need.
The main Commodity Markets (CMDTY) menu provides a summary of key Commodities functionality.

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Figure 3: Commodity Markets

Users can drill down to identify the functions best suited to their workflow, from monitors and Ticker search engines to the
electronic trading menu where they can access the full set of electronic trading capabilities offered by the Bloomberg
Professional service. The path at the top of each menu shows them where they are in the overall menu hierarchy.

Figure 4: Commodity Derivatives

3.5.8.3. [COMDTY] DEFAULTS

The function FEPS <GO> is used to set commodity defaults.

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3.5.9. [INDEX] — BLOOMBERG INDEXES

Bloomberg’s suite of Index <Index> functionality provides access to a library of Bloomberg and third-party indexes and
allows users to create their own custom indexes. Bloomberg’s Library of Indexes includes equity indexes, fixed income
indexes and indexes relating to a wide variety of statistics, including data as diverse as U.S. GDP, the monthly electricity
export from Austria to Czech Republic in GWh, monthly kidnappings in Colombia and more. Users can create their own
custom indexes representing spreads, baskets of securities and custom data expressions, and then analyze them using
Bloomberg’s Analytics.
In addition to Bloomberg’s suite of Index functionality, Bloomberg offers a fee-based service focused on custom index
creation and index licensing in the fixed income, commodity and currency markets. Bloomberg Indexes creates index-
linked solutions for ETF and structured product issuers. Users can license an existing index to use as a benchmark for a
fund, or they can work with Bloomberg Indexes to create a custom index using their own methodology. Bloomberg
calculates the indexes and distributes them for free on the Terminal to all users. For more information about Bloomberg
Indexes, contact the assigned Bloomberg representative.

3.5.9.1. [INDEX] EXAMPLES

Description Terminal API

S&P 500 Index SPX Index //blp/mktdata/ticker/SPX Index

Dow Jones Industrial Average INDU Index //blp/mktdata/ticker/INDU Index

Russell 2000 Index RTY Index //blp/mktdata/ticker/RTY Index

NASDAQ 100 Stock Index NDX Index //blp/mktdata/ticker/NDX Index

3.5.9.2. [INDEX] LOOKUP

The main Indexes menu provides a summary of key Index functionality.

Figure 5: Indexes menu

Users can drill down to identify the functions best-suited to their workflow, from monitoring equity indexes to building their
own custom indexes. The path at the top of each menu shows them where they are in the overall menu hierarchy. Index
 Note: Users can click “Home” to browse Bloomberg’s full set of market sector offerings, products, communication
tools and Help resources.

3.5.9.3. [INDEX] DEFAULTS

The function IDEF <GO> is used to set Index defaults.

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3.5.10. [CURNCY] — CURRENCY

Bloomberg FX brings users continuous real-time pricing direct from major banks, brokers and liquidity providers
worldwide, enabling complete and accurate price discovery. Bloomberg’s pricing coverage spans spot and forward
markets, deposits and option volatilities for all traded currencies, including NDF and onshore pricing for restricted currency
pairs.
Couple pricing with Bloomberg FX Analytics and users have the ability to compare currency performance on dozens of
measures to gauge relative value. They can assess trading strategy performance, analyze economic fundamentals and
monetary policy and quickly quantify risk and potential exposure. The FX platform also offers historical and real-time
derivatives data, idea generation and scenario analysis, market-standard pricing and structuring tools, and risk
management analytics. After conducting their research, users can seamlessly access Bloomberg FX trading Platform,
FXGO, which allows them to easily trade spot, forwards, NDFs, options or deposits.
The main Currency Markets menu provides a summary of key FX functionality.

Figure 6: Currency Markets

3.5.10.1. [CURNCY] EXAMPLES

Description Terminal API

EURUSD Spot Exchange EUR BVAL Curncy //blp/mktdata/ticker/EUR BVAL Curncy
Rate — Price of 1 EUR in
USD

EUSA2 — EUR SWAP EUSA2 BVAL Curncy //blp/mktdata/ticker/EUSA2 BVAL Curncy

ANNUAL 2 YR

Markit CDX North America CDXIG524 CBVAL //blp/mktdata/ticker/CDXIG524 CBVAL Curncy

Investment-Grade Index Curncy

3.5.10.2. [CURNCY] LOOKUP

The function FXTF <GO> is used to look up currencies.

3.5.10.3. [CURNCY] DEFAULTS

The functions XDF <GO> and XODF <GO> are used to look up currency defaults.

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3.5.11. FUTURES (NOT A KEY)

All Exchange-traded futures. In Bloomberg, futures are spread across multiple yellow keys.
F8 Equity — Single-stock futures
F9 Comdty — Commodity futures, bond futures and interest rate futures
F10 Index — Equity Index futures
F11 Curncy — Currency futures (not FX forwards)
Generics vs. Most-active Tickers
As futures roll over from month to month. Bloomberg offers two types of alias Tickers that keep contracts rolling over
without clients’ needing to change Tickers.

1. Most-active Tickers — These Tickers always end with an A, e.g., CLA COMB Comdty. They always represent the
most-active contract (pointing to the actual contract Ticker rather than generic). “Active” is normally determined based
on the number of open interests (exceptions may apply).

2. Generics — These Tickers end with numbers starting from 1 (1st contract month), e.g.,. CL1 COMB Comdty. The
Ticker will roll to the next contract upon expiry of current contract. When requesting historical data, generics string
together contracts based on the generics’ settings and go back in history as long as data is available (in contrast,
individual contract Tickers would only have historical data up to its first trading date).
Futures Description

IBMF=Z5 GR Equity IBM stock future, expiring in Dec 2015, traded at Eurex
CLZ2 COMB Comdty WTI Crude oil future, expiring in Dec 2022, Day&Night session, traded at
NYMEX
TYM5 PIT Comdty 10yr T-bill future, expiring in Jun 2014, Day session, traded at CBT

VGZ4 Index Euro Stoxx 50 future, expiring in Dec 2014, traded at Eurex

URU5 Curncy RUB currency future, expiring Dec 2015, traded at RTS

C A ELEC Comdty Corn future, Active contract, Night session, traded at CME
st
NG1 COMB Comdty Natural Gas future, 1 contract month generic, Day&Night session, traded at COT

3.5.11.1. FUTURE CONTRACT CODE

Future codes indicate expiration month or use special codes to distinguish between similar contracts.
Contract Special Code

Most Active A

Generic Ticker Ordinal Month of Contract— 1 for 1st

Equity Ticker =

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Contract Month Code

Jan F Jul N

Feb G Aug Q
Mar H Sep U
Apr J Oct V

May K Nov X
Jun M Dec Z

1. Normal futures
Root Ticker x Month x Year x Session x Yellow Key
CL Z 5 COMB Comdty

2. Most-Active Ticker
Root Ticker x A x Session x Yellow Key
CL A COMB Comdty

3. Generic Ticker (1st contract month)

Root Ticker x 1 x Session x Yellow Key
CL 1 COMB Comdty

4. Equity futures
Root Ticker x = x Month x Year x Exchange x Yellow Key
IBMF = Z 5 GR Equity

Sessions
Many futures have two trading sessions.
PIT = Day Session and ELEC = Night Session. COMB combines both PIT and ELEC. If users need only one Session,
they can designate the Session by replacing COMB with either PIT or ELEC.
 Please note that some futures do not have multiple Sessions, and users will not have to specify the Session in the
Ticker code.

3.5.11.2. FUTURES LOOKUP

CT <GO> Future lookup functionfunction

CTM <GO> Contract Table Menu by Category of Futures
CEM <GO> Contract Exchange Menu by Exchanges

To access CT, enter (Ticker symbol) (Exchange code) <Equity> CT <GO>.

For example:
▪ ADM US <Equity> CT <GO>
▪ IBM US <Equity> CT <GO>
Option chains using the API:

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BLOOMBERG OPEN API – CORE USER GUIDE

FUT_CHAIN = BDS(Underlying Ticker, “FUT_CHAIN”)

BPIPE & BPOD chain //blp/mktlist/chain/bpkbl/XXXXXXXXXXXX;secclass=Future

3.5.11.3. FUTURES DEFAULTS

CDEF <GO> Futures Default
91) Futures Exchange Session Tab
Set preferences on Sessions that users would like to see for each Exchange by default. In real-time products, however,
they can and should always designate the Session in the Ticker in the form of COMB, PIT or ELEC.
93) Generic Rolls Tab
This page controls how generic Tickers roll over contracts. Users would mainly use the “Price” section of the page to set
how prices for the generic roll over. Press HELP key on the page and go to “Generic Rollovers” on the right-hand side of
the page to see what each option means. B-PIPE follows “Relative to Expiration” if authenticating as Non-BPS user, which
will roll to the next contract upon expiry of current contract.
Another important component of this page is “Include serial (monthly) contracts”. By selecting this checkbox, serial
(monthly) contracts are included. B-PIPE always includes monthly serial contracts.
Example: Generally, Eurodollar (ED1 COB Comdty) contracts trade quarterly (March, June, September, and December).
However, as the contracts get closer to expiration, CBOT adds four monthly contracts. So, if a user selects this checkbox,
instead of just Mar, Jun, Sept and Dec, the Eurodollar includes additional monthly contracts.
Thus, a future chain as of June 2014 would look like this:

EDM4 Jun14

EDN4 Jul14

EDQ4 Aug14

EDU4 Sep14

EDV4 Oct14

EDX4 Nov14

EDZ4 Dec14

EDH5 Mar15

EDM5 Jun15

EDU5 Sep15

EDZ5 Dec15

………

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3.5.12. OPTIONS (NOT A KEY)

There are two main types of options. Exchange-listed options (options on equity, equity index and futures) and OTC
options (swaptions, options on bonds, etc.). Listed options will be on Equity, Comdty, Index, and Curncy keys. For OTC
options, volatility Tickers are available for swaptions, caps/floors and currency ATM/Butterfly/Risk Reversal vols.
F8 Equity — Equity options
F9 Comdty — Commodity future options, bond future options and interest rate future options
F10 Index — Equity index future options
F11 Curncy — Currency futures, swaptions, caps/floors, FX volatility
Examples and Ticker Construction

Options on Equity and Equity index Description

IBM UO 01/15/16 P200 Equity IBM Put 200 option, expiring in Jan 2016, Chicago
Exchange
VIX US 10/22/14 C14 Index VIX index Call 14 option, expiring in Nov 2014, Composite Exchange

VOD GR 12/16 C200 Equity Vodafone Call 200 option, expiring in Dec 2016, Eurex

Root Ticker x Exchange Code x Expiry MM/DD/YY (or Expiry M/Y only) x C or P x Strike Price x Yellow Key
IBM UO 01/15/16 P 200 Equity

Options on Futures Description

SPZ5C 1865 COMB Index S&P 500 Future Comb session Jun contract Call 1865 option, expiring Dec 2015

ESH5C 1840 Index S&P 500 Mini Future Sep contract Call 1840 option, expiring Mar 2015

JBU4C 145 PIT Comdty Japanese Gov Bond future June contract Call 145 option, expiring Sep 2014

EDZ5C 98.75 Comdty Euro$ Future Dec 2015 contract Call 98.75 option, expiring in Dec 2015

Short Code (2 or 3 letters) x Month x Year x C or P x Strike Price x Session x Yellow Key
SP Z 5 C 1865 COMB Index

Contract Month Code (Same as Futures)

Month Code Month Code
Jan F Jul N
Feb G Aug Q

Mar H Sep U
Apr J Oct V

May K Nov X

Jun M Dec Z

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*Option Tickers are kept up to three years after expiry

*Futures year changes in the Ticker code 11 months after expiry
*ISIN not available, even if listed
*For listed options, only “listed options” are available as Tickers; unlisted option Tickers are not created before they are
listed.

Swaption Description
BPVEF1 CMPL Curncy GBP Swaption Black vol ATM 6m x 1y

BPSP011 CMPL Curncy GBP Swaption Spot Premium ATM 1yr x 1yr

BPNE11 CMPL Curncy GBP Swaption Normal Vol ATM 1Y x 1Y

EUPGF1 CMPL Curncy EUR Swaption Implied forward swap rate 6m x 1y

BPCPST5 CMPL Curncy GBP CAP strike 5 Yr

BPIAM5 CMPL Curncy GBP Caps/Floors ATM 5y

BPI155 CMPL Curncy GBP Caps/Floors 1.5% 5y

BPCPAM5 CMPL Curncy GBP CAP premium strike 5 Yr

BPFLST5 CMPL Curncy GBP Floors strike 5yr

BPFV0105 CMPL Curncy GBP Floors premium strike 5yr

Swaption Tickers are on the Curncy key

Depending on Premium/Vol, ATM, Strikes, etc., Tickers differ
2-digit Currency codes x Type of Instruments x Term x Pricing Source x Yellow Key
BP VE F1 CMPL Curncy

Volatility Tickers Description

CL JUL14 25DP VOL BVOL Comdty CLN4 Comdty Implied vol for 25 Delta

IBM US APR14 95 VOL BVOL Equity IBM Apr 14 option 95% moneyness vol

Volatility Tickers are available for listed options by Moneyness or Delta.

Volatility Tickers’ format will vary depending on the underlying ticker, therefore, it is best to find them from OVDV <GO>.
Currency Options Volatility Description
GBPUSDV6M BVAL Curncy GBP FX option ATM 6M volatility

GBPUSD25B6M BVAL Curncy GBP FX option Butterfly 25D 6M volatility

GBPUSD10B6M BVAL Curncy GBP FX option Risk Reversal 25D 6M volatility

Currency pair x Type x Tenor x Pricing Source x Yellow Key

GBPUSD V 6M BVAL Curncy

Custom Tickers (created by OVME <GO>, OVML <GO>)

IS1892322 Index Deal ID x Index

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3.5.12.1. OPTIONS LOOKUP

Underlying Ticker + OMON <GO> Option monitor — to find options for an underlying Ticker

*
OSCH <GO> Option search by condition
*
Underlying Ticker + OMST <GO> Most active options by underlying asset
*
MOSO <GO> Most active options by Exchanges
*
OVI <GO> Most active options by volume increase

CTM <GO> Listed spot options (FX, bond, index, non-equity index, weekly
options)
*
CERT <GO> To find listed certificates and warrants
*
WSRC <GO> To find warrants by conditions
*
Underlying Ticker + WMON To find warrants for an underlying Ticker
<GO>

Underlying Ticker + OVDV <GO> To find volatility Tickers

*
WVOL <GO> Major currency volatility matrix
*
WVI <GO> Volatility indices
*
Not available on limited functionality Terminal

How to view an option chain in Excel:

OPT_CHAIN =BDS(Underlying ticker, “OPT_CHAIN”)
CHAIN_TICKERS =BDS(Underlying ticker, “OPT_TICKERS”)
OPTION_TICKER_BY_MONEYNESS =BDP( “VOD LN Equity”, “OPTION_TICKER_BY_MONEYNESS”,
“EXPIRATION_MONTH_NUMBER=1”,
“OPTION_TYPE_OVERRIDE=C”,
“LEVEL_MONEYNESS_UNDRLY=100.0”)
How to view an option chain using the API:
//blp/mktlist/chain/bpkbl/XXXXXXXXXXXX;secclass=Options

3.5.12.2. OPTIONS DEFAULTS

OPDF <GO> Derivatives settings, users can change estimate dividend source, curve ID for interest rates,
etc.
SWDF <GO> Curve and contributor preferences

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3.5.13. PAGES (NOT A KEY)

Pages are normally provided by contributors. A few page formats are available—a user’s Subscription will differ
depending on the page format.
Digital Page (i.e., GDCO page)

Figure 7: Digital Page

Each data point is tickerized and stores historical data on the Ticker plant. Users can run functions on each Ticker and
use the Tickers for API. If a user clicks on the values on the screen, the Ticker code will be listed on the top left of the
user’s screen. Alternatively, users can use the Pushpin, which is listed at the top right of the GDCO page (green arrow on
a “piece of paper” icon) and drag and drop the Pushpin onto the spreadsheet to download all Tickers on the page.
Text Format Data (i.e., GPGX page).

Figure 8: Text Format Data

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For a GPGX page, no history is stored, and no Tickers are associated with the page. If users would like to subscribe to
the page, they will need the GPGX number, which can be found by pressing the Tab key when on the screen—e.g.,
GPGX 0509 012 0001 is the page number. The Subscription string would look like: //blp/pgdata/page/509/12/1

Users can locate contributor pages from the MRKT <GO> function. Please note that some contributor pages are
restricted, and users may not access the page without entitlement. Entitlements are controlled directly by the contributor’s
administrator , therefore, if a user would like to access a specific page that he or she is not able to view, the user would
need to contact the contributor directly. Users can usually find the contact information on the contributor’s page itself or hit
the <HELP> key on the page, then click on Contact Information on Help page.

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3.6. FIELDS
Requests and Subscriptions require the user to specify which fields from the Bloomberg data model to receive. Fields are
specified using the field mnemonic. Similar fields are available for Subscriptions and requests; for Subscriptions, the bid
price would be “BID”, for a Request, “PX_BID”.

3.6.1. LOOKING UP BLOOMBERG FIELDS USING FLDS <GO>

Information about available fields can be retrieved programmatically using the Bloomberg API Field Information Service
(“//blp/apiflds”) or FLDS <GO> on the Bloomberg Professional service.

Please complete the following quick tutorial using FLDS <GO>:

The first screen when {FLDS <GO>} is run will display FIELD SEARCH.
FLDS <GO> provides the ability to query the API Data Dictionary as well as view static
values for each queried field.
Load “IBM US Equity” on the quote line of the Terminal and execute {FLDS <GO>}.
The security will be displayed in the top-left field, the field below will be empty.
Enter the query string (e.g., enter “pricing fields” and press {<GO>}. The result set is
displayed in the table below that field.
Some of the field mnemonics are displayed in white text. This denotes a real-time
subscription field as opposed to the orange-text fields, which are static-request fields.
Clicking on one of the rows will display that field’s information as well as modify the
values for any override field and allow you to view the values of all related/reactive
fields.
Select “Mid Price (decimal)”. Along the top is displayed that field’s CALCRT number
(PR998), its equivalent mnemonic (PX_DEC_MID) and its description.
Below that section will be displayed: a list of all of the overrides and reactive and
relative (also used with) fields. In this area “what-if” scenarios can be performed by
changing the value of any override field(s) and seeing how such change impacts the value
of the reactive field, which, in this case, is PX_DEC_MID.

3.7. PARAMETER OVERRIDES

Some Request and Subscription fields allow parameters that override default behavior; these are commonly referred to as
“overrides” in the Bloomberg Terminal and the API, and noted as “Ovrd Value” in FLSD <GO>.
Overrides can be used to change the basis on which Bloomberg calculates a derived field. This can be used to perform
“what if?” analyses. For example, override the bid price of a bond (PX_BID) and request the bid yield to maturity
(YLD_YTM_BID) based on the value supplied for the bid price.
Retrieve information about which fields react when a particular field is overridden programmatically by using the
Bloomberg API Field Information Service, “//blp/apiflds” or use FLDS <GO> on the Bloomberg Professional service.

A maximum of 20 overrides can be specified in a single Request. The overrides are specified in the Request as an array
of name/value pairs.

3.8. HISTORICAL DATES

Actual Dates
These represent explicit dates such as “10/12/2011” or “20111012”, both of whichresolve to October, 12, 2011.
Relative Dates

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The syntax of the Relative Date is: [A][+/-nCU], where

[A] is the Anchor Date and [+/-nCU] is the Offset from the Anchor Date. Both parts are optional and the date is the result
of applying the specified Offset to the specified Anchor. If the Anchor Date is omitted, then the current date is used. If the
Offset is omitted, then no offset is applied to the Anchor. An empty string is equal to the current date.
In the Offset, +/- defines the direction of the Offset, n is a non-negative integer multiplier, C is a Calendar Type, and U is a
Period Unit. The integer multiplier in the Offset is optional.
Anchor
The Anchor can be specified in any of the following formats:
▪ <YYYY><MM><DD> format. The valid range is from 19000101 to 99991231.
▪ The symbol ED is only valid in a start date and represents the supplied end date Anchor.
▪ The symbol SD is only valid in an end date and represents the supplied start date Anchor.
▪ <C><n><YYYY>, where:
▪ <C> represents the calendar type, which can be either C (calendar) or F (fiscal).
▪ represents the period unit, which can be either Q (quarterly), S (semiannually) or Y (yearly).
▪ <n> represents a valid integer value for the specified period unit. So, for Quarterly, <n> must be 1, 2, 3, or 4.
For Semi-annually, <n> must be either 1 or 2. For Yearly, <n> must be 1 or it may be omitted.
▪ <YYYY> represents the year. The valid range is from 1900 to 9999.
Offset
An Offset must always be in the form <+|->[n]<C>, where:
▪ The first character is always a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to indicate the direction of the Offset from the Anchor date.
▪ The second character (<n>) is an optional multiplier. It must be between 0 and 32767; if it is not specified, the default
is 0.
▪ The third character, <C> is either A (actual), C (calendar) or F (fiscal). For Actual or Calendar types, the fourth
character, , is either D (daily), W (weekly), M (monthly), Q (quarterly), S (semiannually) or Y (yearly). For Fiscal
calendar types, the fourth character, , is Q (quarterly), S (semiannually) or Y (yearly).
If the Actual Calendar type is used, the Offset is applied precisely with no “rounding”. For example, +2AW from a Tuesday
will result in the Tuesday two weeks hence. +1AM from the 16th will result in the 16th of the following month. If using the
Calendar or Fiscal calendar types, the resulting date is rounded down to the last active date of the previous period. For
example, +1CW from a Tuesday will result in the Friday of the same week, +1CM from the 16th will result in the last active
day of that month, +CM from the 16th will result in the last active day of the previous month.

BLOOMBERG OPEN API – CORE USER GUIDE

4. Subscription Options
Subscriptions are ideal for data that changes frequently and/or at unpredictable intervals. Instead of repeatedly polling for
the current value, the application gets the latest value as soon as it is available without wasting network bandwidth or
system and application resources.
Subscriptions on some services result in an initial starting value for all fields requested followed by a stream of updates as
the values change until the Subscription is explicitly cancelled by the application.
Each Subscription is for a single security. Subscriptions pass Identity objects to get permissioned data. While this is not
required for Desktop API, this is recommended to allow later usage of that code with other products with minimal changes.
Subscriptions can have multiple fields that are specified in a string, for example:
“LAST_PRICE, ASK, BID”
Subscriptions can have options:
interval = x
This will intervalize the Subscription stream by conflating the data to x number of seconds between updates. The
value of x may be specified as a decimal, for example, .5 will update every half second
delayed
This forces a real-time stream to use the delayed steam if available. For Desktop API and Server API, a delayed
stream will be used if not permissioned for the real-time stream.
 For additional information, refer to the “Core Developer Guide”.

BLOOMBERG OPEN API – CORE USER GUIDE

5. Schema
The Bloomberg API is service-based. Requests, Subscriptions and other functionality are provided by services. The
services provided by Bloomberg L.P. are all in the form “//blp/<servicename>”.

The role of the schema is to define the format of Requests to a service, as well as the Events returned from that service.
Within a service, one or more Event types may exist, each having its own schema. The schema will also define the shape
of the data. For instance, market data is flat, while reference data is nested (like XML).
Each schema element has the following properties and attributes:
▪ Name: The name of the Element.
▪ Status: ACTIVE — Available; INACTIVE — Unavailable
▪ Type: Data type of that Element. This includes SEQUENCE (group), ENUMERATION, BOOL, STRING, etc.
▪ Minimal Occurrence: 0 — Optional; 1 — Required
▪ Maximal Occurrence: 1 — Element; -1 — Array
A schema describes the structure of a service. It provides a list of fields and sub-Messages with their attributes. It defines
the Request details and overrides and may describe the structure of responses.
Data Distribution Management schemas allow client-defined schemas for use in local Publishing and contributions.
Every service has its own schema:
▪ //blp/refdata — Service for reference data
▪ //blp/mktdata — Service for market data
▪ //blp/mktbar — Service for market bar data
 For additional information, refer to the “Reference Services and Schemas Guide”.

BLOOMBERG OPEN API – CORE USER GUIDE

6. Bloomberg API Products

6.1. B-PIPE
B-PIPE leverages the Bloomberg distribution platform and managed entitlements system. It allows clients to connect
applications providing solutions that work with client proprietary and third-party applications. B-PIPE also provides tools
such as EMRS (Entitlements Management and Reporting System) to permission data to entitled users only. Client
applications will use the Bloomberg entitlements system to ensure distribution of data only to appropriately entitled users.
B-PIPE is a managed solution and requires the Bloomberg Appliance except for development installations, which are
often hosted on a client’s 64-bit Red Hat Enterprise Linux machine. The Bloomberg Appliance resides physically at the
client but behind Bloomberg’s firewall. It runs a highly tuned Linux environment, is scaled according to a client’s specific
throughput requirements and is continuously monitored and managed by Bloomberg.
A Bloomberg workstation is used by the client to monitor the state of Bloomberg data distribution and management using
a GUI and tools provided by Bloomberg. The Bloomberg Appliance Monitoring System (BAMS) is accessible by internal
administrators and support staff.
In addition to the real-time/delayed streaming data available via the Desktop API and Server API products, BPS users
requesting data via the B-PIPE product will also have access to full market depth, market list and source reference
streaming data. Non-BPS customers will have access to a limited set of reference data fields and no access to premium
fields or historical end-of-day and intraday data.

6.2. DDM
DDM is a managed service that extends beyond traditional industry solutions for market data distribution by providing real-
time/delayed streaming and historical market data, as well as local Publishing, contributions and trusted entitlements. It is
a complete high-volume, low-latency service for end users and applications—it displays throughout an entire financial
firm.
DDM enables clients to publish their own data within their firm or externally to their customers. Published data is
distributed locally to entitled subscribers anywhere within a site. Optionally, the published data can also be simultaneously
sent to a Bloomberg Data Center for storage in managed, high-speed, in-memory caches and persistent databases. This
is known as Contributions. Once data is published into the managed Bloomberg environment, that data is available to
individuals or applications anywhere in the firm as long as the appropriate permissions have been granted.
Bloomberg’s data management and distribution are offered through the Bloomberg Appliance, the same infrastructure that
delivers the Bloomberg B-PIPE data feed. Depending upon which product a client has purchased, various types of
Appliances are available.. Note: no equivalent development instance is available for DDM to be hosted on the customer’s
Linux server as is the case for B-PIPE.
Key features include:
▪ Historical databases with market data history per instrument—an intraday tick-by-tick history may be retained for days
or weeks; or closing prices may be retained for days or weeks; or closing prices may remain available for years.
▪ Bloomberg-provided trusted Entitlements Management & Reporting System (EMRS). Bloomberg data Subscriptions
and publications are protected by strong service-based entitlements.
▪ Distribution for internal use or for select clients.
▪ Low-latency local Publishing.
▪ Launchpad Page Monitor allows client-generated as well as Bloomberg-supplied data to be displayed within a single
Launchpad window on the Bloomberg Professional service.
▪ Intraday tick and historical data storage with access through the Bloomberg Professional service analytics and APIs.

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▪ Reliable, redundant and scalable service.

▪ Management, Monitoring and Capacity Planning using BAMS (Bloomberg Appliance Monitoring System).

6.2.1. B-PIPE/PLATFORM PACKAGES

Bloomberg offers the following B-PIPE and Platform packages:
B-PIPE with Services
Bloomberg’s B-PIPE is a fast, normalized, reliable and cost-effective consolidated real-time market data feed for
Enterprise use. B-PIPE is delivered as a managed service, leveraging Bloomberg’s high-performance technology and
content to offer unsurpassed functionality and data coverage. B-PIPE can be integrated with a client’s existing platform
and entitlements system or directly into client’s applications. Bloomberg offers a managed feed adapter for Thomson
TM
Reuters market data platform to easily integrate B-PIPE.
B-PIPE over Platform
Deploy and manage a B-PIPE feed with Bloomberg’s distribution service, leveraging Bloomberg’s technology and
infrastructure complemented with transparent 24/7 monitoring and alerting features (BAMS). The Bloomberg entitlements
management and reporting system (EMRS) is used to manage end-user application entitlements, providing value-added
administrative and reporting features.
B-PIPE over Platform with Services
A combination of the above two B-PIPE products that allows clients to use dynamic symbology mapping.
Bloomberg Professional Service (BPS) User Data over Platform
BPS user data and Bloomberg analytics are available to Bloomberg Professional service subscribers who use Platform.
Local Publishing over Platform (DDM)
Publishing internal data using the Bloomberg Platform (DDM) allows traders, sales, research analysts and others at a
client firm to integrate internal data into their Bloomberg desktop application “Launchpad” or Bloomberg’s Excel add-in or
internal applications. The Launchpad Page Monitor allows client-generated as well as Bloomberg-supplied data to be
displayed within a single Launchpad window on the Bloomberg Professional service. The Bloomberg Excel add-in allows
Publishing of internally derived data, creating a fully supported Publishing and Subscription desktop solution. Pub-Sub
additionally allows server-based Publishing through the Bloomberg Open API (BLPAPI).
Contributions over DDM
This utilizes DDM for the contribution of internal data into Bloomberg for controlled distribution to customers. This fully
supported infrastructure reduces overhead and is integrated with the Bloomberg Professional Excel add-in. Platform
Contributions can support virtually any field in the Bloomberg API and utilize the BLPAPI for desktop- or server-based
Publishing.

6.3. SERVER API

The Bloomberg Server API is a server-based product that allows integrating up to six third-party applications (approved by
Bloomberg) depending on product level. (Server API and ServerAPI Plus have up to three applications; Server API
Premium has up to six). Bloomberg Server API allows the retrieval of streaming real-time and/or delayed data, reference
data, historical data, intra-day data and Bloomberg-derived data. All data retrieved from Bloomberg via the Server API
must be controlled and disseminated to valid Bloomberg Anywhere users only. Data cannot be distributed beyond the
application and the Bloomberg Anywhere user community. Furthermore, it cannot be used to update downstream systems
or databases for Enterprise use. The API provides the necessary mechanism for client applications to perform the
required permissioning logic to verify exchange entitlements and user-specific authorization checks. The Server API is a
suite of products that includes:

BLOOMBERG OPEN API – CORE USER GUIDE

Single-Server API
It is intended for use solely with a single approved registered third-party application (e.g., Sophis, Murex, Front Arena,
etc.). Single-Server API has a data tier of up to 500 securities a month. Only for third-party-approved applications (not for
in-house applications). They MUST be registered with a third party.
Server API
Server API allows Bloomberg Professional service and end-user applications to obtain data from the Bloomberg Data
Center for up to 5,000 securities. Note that Server API cannot be plugged in to black box applications.
Server API Plus
Server API Plus is identical to Server API with the additional option of using EMRS to manage entitlements and BAMS to
monitor hardware and software. It can be installed either on customer hardware or managed on a Bloomberg Appliance.
Server API Premium
High-end version of Server API that allows up to 10,000 unique streaming securities a month and 3m static hits a day.
Managed products have the Server API process residing on the Bloomberg Appliance; unmanaged products have that
process hosted on a dedicated host server. Both Single Server API and Server API are unmanaged products; both the
Server API Plus and Server API Premium products can either be managed or unmanaged.
The Server API allows end-user applications running on a Bloomberg Professional service–licensed PC to obtain data
from the Bloomberg Data Center via a connection to a Server API process. It provides clients with better use of network
resources when compared with the Bloomberg Desktop API, which shares the same libraries. Server API end-users do
not connect to a local BBComm process running on a local PC. Instead, the Server API applications either connect in
Single-User Mode or Multi-User Mode.

6.4. DESKTOP API

The Desktop API is used when the end-user application resides on the same machine as the installed Bloomberg
Professional service and connects to the local Bloomberg Communications Server (BBComm) to obtain data from the
Bloomberg Data Center.

7. API Features
7.1. INTERVALIZATION
Intervalization occurs when an application makes an interval-based Subscription for tick data by setting its “interval” option
to a specific value between one-tenth of a second (.10) and 86,400 seconds (24 hours). It is possible to specify an interval
in situations where either the application doesn’t need to receive every single tick or is having trouble processing the
incoming tick data fast enough and falling behind.
All incoming ticks sent from the Bloomberg API infrastructure populate the communication server’s cache and then, at the
“interval” specified, a summary of any of the updated fields since the last summary are sent to the subscribing application.
The Bloomberg communication server is bbcomm for Desktop API, serverapi for Server API and the apics process for B-
PIPE. These are the last hops before the client application.
In Intervalization, the communication server sends SUMMARY/INTERVAL messages at the specified interval. QUOTE or
TRADE market Event–type Messages will never be sent.

BLOOMBERG OPEN API – CORE USER GUIDE

7.2. API CONFLATION

The Bloomberg API infrastructure will only conflate Subscription data when requested with the “interval” option. Conflation
is performed to save bandwidth from the Bloomberg API infrastructure to the communication server. If multiple
Subscriptions exist for the same security across a range of intervals, the API will have a single Subscription from the
Bloomberg infrastructure, which is then “intervalized” as appropriate and distributed to individual subscribers.
If making an interval-based Subscription for quote ticks (BID and/or ASK), the Bloomberg API infrastructure will conflate
the data at that interval and send the conflated bid/ask ticks to the communication server, which will then apply the
Intervalization. This involves sending SUMMARY/INTERVAL Messages to the subscribing application at the specified
interval. Note: only bid/ask data is subject to conflation. Trade data is never conflated, but it will be intervalized if an
interval is specified.
Although the Bloomberg API infrastructure only conflates bid/ask data when an interval is specified in a Subscription, all
bid/ask data is conflated by the Bloomberg Ticker Plant when subscribing to delayed data. In other words, the data is
received by the Bloomberg API infrastructure pre-conflated.
The Desktop API and Server API will have automatic access to delayed data when available, whereas B-PIPE requires
explicit permission for access.