Bloomberg User Manual

Second edition 2018

Faculty of Business and Economics
The University of Hong Kong

Chapter 1
Getting Started and Basics

Copyright © 2018 by Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Hong Kong

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Chapter 1 Getting Started and Basics
Overview
BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL service (“Bloomberg”) provides access to all the data, news,
analytics, charts, liquidity, functionality and execution services that you need to put knowledge
into action. Bloomberg provides data via functions. By running different function codes, it shows
different pages with the corresponding data as you want, covering all different assets classes and
products including equities, fixed income, commodities, foreign exchange, derivatives,
economics and portfolios. It has more than 30,000 functions, providing more than 250 exchange
live feeds, 600,000 stock data, 380,000 funds, 4,600,000 fixed income securities, 15,000 foreign
exchange quotes, 45,000 commodity data, 300,000 economic indicators and 30,000 company
fundamental data and 55,000 public portfolios.

Bloomberg also produces more than 5,000 news articles and delivers 200,000,000 emails daily.
It provides free trainings and seminars as well as 24 hour online support to users’ inquiries.

1.1 Keyboard
To clear the current loaded page to
the login page, press the CANCEL key To log on to Bloomberg, press the LOG OFF key

Figure 1.1 Bloomberg Keyboard

YELLOW KEYS
They represent different asset classifications, e.g. EQUITY INDEX. It is used when loading a
security. It will be introduced in details in section 1.3.1 Ticker.

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GREEN KEYS

<GO> is equivalent to “Enter” and should follow every function/command to

GO
activate that page.

MENU <MENU> takes you back to the previous screen.

PG
UP Scroll up or down within a screen that contains multiple pages
PG E.g. to move from page 2 to page 15, type 13 and press <PG DN>.
DN

PRINT
Press <PRINT> to print the current page

HELP
Press <HELP> once to display the Help page of how to use the current function.

HELP HELP Press <HELP> key twice to send a message to Help Desk for 24 hour assistance.

1.2 Log in
Double click the Bloomberg icon on the desktop to start the application. To log in, hit <GO>.

Figure 1.2 Bloomberg start page

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After that, a log-in page will show up with language options. Type your login name and
password in the amber boxes at the left of the page if you already have a Bloomberg account.
Click Create a New Login in the lower part of the page to register a Bloomberg account and fill
in all the required information by following the instruction. Make sure to bring your cell phone
to the Bloomberg Lab as you may receive a text message as confirmation.

Figure 1.3 Bloomberg log-in page

1.3 Ticker and Function

Ticker and function are the two major constituents of Bloomberg. Knowing these concepts helps
you better navigate in Bloomberg and understand the logic of Bloomberg data.

1.3.1 Ticker
A ticker is the symbol to identify a security which could be a stock, an index, a bond, a foreign
exchange rate and etc. To load a ticker of the security you are looking for, you can type the
keyword(s) such as the company name IBM on the top command line to search using
Bloomberg’s auto-complete feature. After typing the keyword(s), Bloomberg will automatically
complete the text with a drop-down box below, showing the 10 most relevant functions and
securities. Locate the right security if any or click More Securities… if not in the list. The
security is loaded after clicking the ticker symbol and appears in the top grey box above the
command line.

The auto-complete feature can be used not only in finding tickers, but also functions. It offers a
fast, convenient and intuitive way to locate the basic information.
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 Security name
shown in the
top grey bar

Auto-complete
feature

Figure 1.4 Ticker and Auto-complete feature

If you already know the ticker symbol of the security, you can type the ticker name, followed by
hitting the corresponding yellow assets class key on the Bloomberg keyboard (do not type the
yellow assets class keys manually) and hit <GO> to load the ticker. For example,

5 HK EQUITY <GO>: HSBC Holdings PLC

SPX INDEX <GO>: S&P 500 index

IBM 7 10/30/2025 CORP <GO>: a bond issued by IBM that matures on 10/30/2025 with a
coupon rate of 7%

USDEUR CURNCY <GO>: spot exchange rate between US Dollar and Euro

1.3.2 Function

A function is the command you give to display information you are requesting. Bloomberg
categorizes and displays data via different functions. Hit <GO> after entering a function on the
top command line to execute it. Functions are often abbreviations of some terms, e.g. DES<GO>
takes you to the description page of a security. The function code appears in the top grey box
next to the security name and above the command line.

There are two types of functions in Bloomberg. Security-specific functions display data specific
to the security loaded, e.g. IBM US EQUITY DES<GO> displays the description of IBM
corporation. Note that you need to load the ticker that you are going to analyze before inputting a
function code; otherwise Bloomberg screen will display the information corresponding to the
previous ticker you have loaded.
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The other type of functions is overview functions which are non-ticker specific and are designed
to provide some overview information, e.g. WEI<GO> displays a list of world equity indices.
You do not need to load a ticker run this function.

Figure 1.5 Security-specific function: DES<GO> Figure 1.6 Overview function: WEI<GO>

In the following chapters, we will introduce different functions with navigation details for
analysis in different aspects including macroeconomics, fundamentals, corporate finance,
portfolio management and derivatives analysis. In this chapter, we would like to introduce
functions for basic navigation such as communication tools, news, learning material and tips.

1.4 Messaging System

In this section, we will introduce the messaging system in Bloomberg to send, receive and search
emails as well as the default setting of the messaging system. The functions that will be
introduced are as follows:

Function Code Function Name

MSG<GO> Message
MGU<GO> Message Default Settings

MSG<GO> is the function to access the Bloomberg messaging system to send and receive
emails. The function is self-explanatory. You can click Compose on the top red bar to compose a
new message. You can also type keyword(s) in the amber box on the top left to search messages.

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 Figure 1.7 Messaging System: MSG<GO>

MGU<GO> is the function for message default settings. The setting options are categorized in
the grey sidebar at the left. You can change the default setting such as editor, spell check and etc.
by selecting the corresponding categories.

Figure 1.8 Message Default Setting: MGU<GO>

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 1.5 Instant Bloomberg
Instant Bloomberg (IB<GO>) enables you to have real-time interactive conversations with
individuals or multiple users on Bloomberg. It is similar to other online chatting tools but with
more business usages such as sharing prices or trading information, distributing research and
generating ideas.

The IB Manager is a tool that organizes multiple chats into a single interface. You can start a
new chat by simply clicking the + icon next to the amber box on the top left and typing the name
of the Bloomberg user who you would like to chat with. It supports not only one-to-one instant
chat but also groups if you include multiple users in the chat room. Such chat rooms are
temporary and will be disappeared from the chat room list the next day. If you would like to
continue the chat, you need to re-initiate a new chat. For those who you would like to chat
frequently on a daily basis, you can create a persistent chat room by ticking the Make Persistent
Room box underneath. Those chat rooms will be in the IB Manager once you log in the
Bloomberg.

The box to list all the

temporary and persistent
chat rooms

Figure 1.9 Bloomberg real-time communication tool: IB Manager

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1.6 News
Bloomberg provides powerful and integrated news functions to help you access the fastest and
deepest news. In this section, we will introduce important news functions and news search tools
to help you find the news stories you are interested in. The functions that will be introduced are
as follows:

Function Code Function Name

N<GO> News & Research Menu
RECE<GO> Recently Read Stories
BKMK<GO> News and Search Bookmarks
NLRT<GO> News Search & Alerts
TOP<GO> Top News

N<GO> is your gateway to real-time, comprehensive news from tens of thousands of sources,
including Bloomberg’s exclusive coverage. It is an overview page for news including the day’s
top stories globally, as well as those on the specific markets, regions, companies, topics and
people of interest to you. You can view the most important, most popular and most recent news
in any category. You can also create customized searches and alerts to meet your needs.

Figure 1.10.1 Bloomberg News: N<GO>

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 News Page

Figure 1.10.2 Bloomberg News: TOP<GO>

News search: if you would like to conduct a news search on a specific topic that may not be
found in the pre-made categories in N<GO>, you can customize a news search by inputting
keyword(s) under different categories. There are several ways to go to the advanced news search
function mentioned above:

1. Run N<GO>, click 17) NLRT, select New Alert, and then click on Advanced Editor.
2. Run NLRT<GO> to conduct an advanced search, and then follow the same steps as
mentioned in the previous measure.

Figure 1.11 Advanced News Search: NLRT<GO>

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1.7 Learning Materials
Bloomberg provides various learning materials and training resources to help you navigate the
system more effectively and understand the functions more thoroughly. You can refer to this
section once you have questions when using Bloomberg. The functions that will be introduced
are as follows:

Function Code Function Name

BU<GO> Bloomberg University
SMNR<GO> Bloomberg Events and Seminars
BMC<GO> Bloomberg Market Concepts
BPS<GO> Bloomberg Resource Center
<HELP> Help Key
DOCS<GO> Bloomberg Documents
XLTP<GO> Excel Template Library
CFAP<GO> CFA Candidate Body of Knowledge Map

1.7.1 Bloomberg University

To access the Bloomberg University, you can run BU<GO>. Through BU, you can register to
attend Bloomberg seminars, view online training videos and manuals.

Clicking 11) View upcoming events on the BU<GO> page will guide you to the SMNR<GO>
page with a list of free training sessions and seminars provided by Bloomberg in its offices
across the globe for you to sign up. Select the correct location first, e.g. Hong Kong, to avoid
potential confusion.

The BMC<GO> page contains an 8-hour self-learning online course on basic market
fundamentals and Bloomberg functionality. You will receive a Certificate of Completion after
completing all modules.

Clicking 15) Access marketing materials on the BU<GO> page will guide you to the BPS<GO>
page containing cheat sheets for different asset classes and topics, to give you an overview of
Bloomberg’s functionality and market coverage.

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 Figure 1.12.1 Bloomberg University: BU<GO>

Figure 1.12.2 Bloomberg Seminars and Events: SMNR<GO>

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 Figure 1.12.3 Bloomberg Resource Center: SMNR<GO>

1.7.2 <Help> Key HELP

The <HELP> button can be used in 3 ways for different purposes:

1. If you press the <HELP> button once on a function you have run, it will display the Help
page of that function to guide you through how to navigate the function in a child
window. For example, run WEI<GO>, <HELP>, a child window will pop up in Figure
1.13. You can view how to navigate the WEI<GO> page, the definitions and documents
related to WEI<GO> by clicking the categories on the left side.

Figure 1.13 Help page for WEI<GO>

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 2. If you click Live Help on the top right of the page and click 1) Contac Help Desk on the
top left, you can send questions to Bloomberg Help Desk, which provides 24 hour real-
time support with a live representative assisting you via IB chat. If you run HDSK<GO>,
you will be able to view all the questions that you raised in the past. Clicking 1) Help
from that page will guide you to the same page below.

Figure 1.14 Bloomberg Help Desk

3. The <HELP> button can also be used as a search engine for specific information you are
looking for. You can search by typing keyword(s) in the command line and pressing the
<HELP> button afterwards. It will display the most important and relevant results across
all categories such as definitions, news, statistics, securities and functions in one
convenient view for easy filtering. Compared to the auto-complete feature mentioned
earlier which is mainly used to quickly search for tickers and functions, the <HELP>
page provides more information systematically in different categories in the left sidebar
such as definition, news and etc.

It also provides the Best Answer using the Bloomberg groundbreaking search algorithm.
For example, TOYOTA MARKET CAP IN EUR <HELP>, shows Toyota Motor’s
current market cap in Euro on the top with data transparency and historical graph linkage.
You can also view other results from the categories on the left side.

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 Best Answer

Figure 1.15 <Help> page as a search engine

1.7.3 Bloomberg Documents

DOCS<GO>, Bloomberg Documents, provides help documents such as white paper to explain
the methodology used in a function, and pre-made useful templates contributed by Bloomberg
business managers, R&D and specialists in different markets. For example, type “EQUITY
DERIVATIVES” in the amber search bar for equity derivatives related documents.

Figure 1.16 Bloomberg Documents: DOCS<GO>

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1.7.4 Excel Template
Bloomberg allows users to download data in the system to Microsoft Office Excel via
Bloomberg Excel Add-in. XLTP<GO> displays more than 300 pre-made Excel templates to
provide workaround that the functions in the system may not be able to achieve directly and to
give you more flexibility to analyze data in Excel. You can search for the templates by category
or keyword(s) in the amber box at the top left corner. For example, if you are looking for a
template displaying total return of a custom period for multiple securities, you can type TOTAL
RETURN in the amber box to search, you will find one named Multiple Security Total Return
Application. XLTP XSTD<GO>. Click 1) Open to download it to Excel. This template allows
you to download total return, volatility and beta of multiple securities. Click the Settings button
to open the wizard window to set the securities, analysis and parameters you prefer (see Figure
1.18 for the screenshot).

Apart from these Excel templates in the XLTP<GO> page to download data from the system for
further analysis, Bloomberg has its own Excel Add-in which links the system to allow you to
download data from the system into Excel. It is even more flexible than pre-made templates but
more difficult to navigate. As you cannot view Bloomberg data in Excel if it is not linked to the
system, which makes it not very practical outside of the Bloomberg lab, we would not go into
details of how to download Bloomberg data into Excel. If you are interested in it, please open
XLTP XAPI<GO> as tutorial sheet to get started.

Keyword(s) Template Name

Search Box

Figure 1.17 Excel Template Library: XLTP<GO>

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 Wizard
Window

Figure 1.18 An Example of Excel Templates

1.8 Tips and Tricks

Before we close this chapter for the basic navigation of Bloomberg, we would like to introduce
some tips and tricks in addition to functions in the system to help you navigate Bloomberg more
efficiently. The functions that will be introduced are as follows:

Function Code Function Name

SECF<GO> Security Finder
BPS<GO> Bloomberg Resource Center
GRAB<GO> Send Screen Image as Message Attachment
PFM<GO> Personal File Manager

Copyright © 2018 by Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Hong Kong 17
1.8.1 Home Menu for Function Overview
From the various functions introduced in the above sections, you may worry that you will need
to memorize many function codes or at least function names to search for function codes using
the auto-complete feature. It always saves time to run a function code directly. However, running
Main Menu<GO> makes it easy to explore Bloomberg’s entire universe of functions
systematically. It shows the hierarchy of functions by assets classes and analysis angles. For
example, you would like to perform a charting analysis of the loaded security APPLE. You can
choose assets class 7) Equities >, and followed by 16) Analyze APPLE INC Equity >, you will
see the 16) Charting & Reporting > category and the most relevant functions listed below. You
can further click the title to see more related functions under this category.

Figure 1.19 Home Menu Navigation

1.8.2 Security Finder

Apart from the method mentioned in the section 1.3.1 Ticker to search for security tickers, there
is another useful function SECF<GO> to quickly search for tickers from the entire universe of
securities and statistics in Bloomberg according to assets class, security type, country, exchange
and etc. For example, you would like to know which companies listed in Hong Kong issue equity
options. You can click on the amber box next to Category and select “Equities”. Then type HK
in the amber box below the Exchange column to filter all the underlying companies listed in
Hong Kong insuring options. You can find other useful information like the number of options
from other columns.

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 Figure 1.20 Security Finder: SECF<GO>

1.8.3 Grab Screenshot

To grab a Bloomberg screenshot for your reference, you can click the Export icon on the very
top right corner of the screen (see Figure 1.21) and select Take Window Screenshot from the
drop-down box and save the current screen into the local disc.

If you would like to send the screenshot as an attachment via email, the quickest way is to run
GRAB<GO> on the screen that you would like to send. It will direct you to the Bloomberg
Message page with the screenshot attached.

Export button:
click it and select
“Take Window
Screenshot” and
then “Save”.

Figure 1.21 Export button to save the screen

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1.8.4 Personal File Manager
PFM<GO> is the function for you to store files in the system which helps you to manage your
files systematically. You can upload a file from the local disc to store it in the system by clicking
1) Upload File or download a stored file by double clicking the corresponding file name. The
default downloading path is C:\winprogs\blp\data. To change the default setting, you can run Alt
+ D for the terminal default settings and go to the Setup tab on the top to change the Download
Setup. Note that the personal file manager follows the account but not the computer.

Figure 1.22 Personal File Manager: PFM<GO>

Figure 1.23 System Default Setting: Alt + D

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1.8.3 Tips and Shortcuts
There are many shortcuts and tips in the system to ease your workflow. We just list a few here:

1. BPS<GO>, or Bloomberg Resource Center: as mentioned in the section 1.7.1, it is the

portal page to showcase Bloomberg’s functionality and coverage.

2. Drag and Drop: if the mouse icon becomes “a little hand” when you move it onto certain
ticker or name as shown below, you can drag and drop the ticker into the top command
line to load the ticker instead of typing the ticker to save your time.

Figure 1.24 An Example of Drag and Drop

3. Tick and Function Hyperlink: in order to make a ticker or a function as a hyperlink in IB

or Bloomberg message (see Figure 1.25) so that it will load automatically in the system
when others click it, you can put braces “{}” outside of the command. For example,
{AAPL US EQUITY DES<GO>} when you send it in IB or message, it will become a
blue hyperlink so that a Bloomberg screen will load the description page of Apple Inc.
when you click it.

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 Figure 1.25 An Example of Ticker and Function Hyperlink

4. Back Button : it is located at the very top left corner of each Bloomberg screen (see
Figure 1.26) and can be used to retrieve the previous function you have run in that
Bloomberg screen. The difference between the BACK button and the MENU key is the
latter takes you back to the previous page if you have clicked any option in that page but
not in function level. For example, if you are in BPS<GO> page and now run AAPL US
EQUITY DES<GO> and click 4) Revenue & EPS. If you press the MENU key, it will
go back to the MAIN MENU page while if you click the BACK button, it will go back
to the BPS<GO> function, which was run previously.

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 Back Button

Figure 1.26 Back Button

Exercise
1. Find the security tickers for Coca-Cola listed in the US and Sony Corp listed in the Tokyo
Stock Exchange, respectively.
2. Find the function code to view world equity index futures markets.
3. Find the function code to view suppliers and customers of Sony Corp.
4. Send an email to yourself with the WEI<GO> screenshot attached using Bloomberg
Messaging System.
5. Conduct a custom search for the news related to consumer staples industry in China.
6. Find the definition of Tracking Error by Bloomberg and Investopedia in the system.
7. Find China’s inflation rate figure in 2011

Copyright © 2018 by Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Hong Kong 23