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‘Bloomberg Workbook’ Updated
The ‘Bloomberg Workbook’, an introductory guide to using Bloomberg has been updated.
This reflects the recent changes to Bloomberg screens and functions.
Contents include: Accessing Bloomberg, Navigation, Output, Search Procedure, Company Information (Quick Reference), Market Sector Function Keys, Equity Price Indices, Equity Screening, Example Searches, News and Bloomberg Assistance.
Questions (using standard Bloomberg Professional and Excel Add-In versions) include step by step answers (screen shots).
The intention is to provide a helpful introduction to Bloomberg which will promote independent learning. In this respect it mirrors the ‘Datastream Workbook’ which was recently updated.
Bloomberg is available in the Precinct and Eddie Davies Libraries for use by current students and staff of the University of Manchester.
‘Bloomberg Visual Guide’ Books
Two new titles have been added to the MBS Eddie Davies Library book stock.
‘Bloomberg visual guide to candlestick charting’ [2012/374 pages] and ‘Bloomberg visual guide to municipal bonds’ [2012/192 pages].
Attractive and easy to use layout means information can be located quickly.
For example, use of ‘KEYPOINT’ and ‘SMART INVESTOR TIP’ sections, colour coded, with succinct, helpful information.
Extensive use of graphics (pie/bar charts, tables), bullet points combined with different sized text (headings, main body) promote ease of use.
Within Appendix B at the rear of ‘Bloomberg visual guide to municipal bonds’ there is a Bloomberg Functionality Cheat Sheet, which lists commonly used functions for this area. For example, ‘TOP MUN’ is a function to display Top Municipal Market News.
These books should prove useful when using Bloomberg Professional, in the newly opened Bloomberg Suite within the Eddie Davies Library (for use by current students and staff of the University of Manchester).
Implementing Models of Financial Derivatives – Wiley Finance Series*.
Implementing Models of Financial Derivatives [2011/674 pages] is a new title which has been added to the MBS Eddie Davies Library book stock.
This book is comprehensive with a summary and exercises to test comprehension at the end of each of the 31 chapters. These are in turn organised into 8 Parts with appendices at the rear [Part 1: A Procedural Monte Carlo Method in VBA. Part 2: Objects and Polymorphism. Part 3: Using Files with VBA. Part 4: Polymorphic Factories in VBA. Part 5: Performance Issues in VBA. Part 6: Variance Reduction in the Monte Carlo Method. Part 7: The Monte Carlo Method: Convergence and Bias. Part 8: Valuing American Options by Simulation].
The content is highly technical, with many formulas and references to computer programs for the models being examined.
Diagrams are primarily flow charts and screen shots of computer program listings, reflecting the complex technical nature of the subject area.
Wiley Finance Series* - other titles ordered include:
CAIA level II.
New trading systems and methods.
Expected returns.
Simulation and optimization in finance.
Market risk analysis.
Counterparty credit risk.
Excel dashboards & reports.
The handbook of convertible bonds.
Modern investment management.
Probable outcomes.
An introduction to algorithmic trading.
High-frequency trading models.
Uprising .
Technical Analysis of Stock Trends.
Datastream Workbook
Datastream (Thomson Reuters) is a Specialist Financial Database. 
Within the MBS Library Service (Precinct and Eddie Davies Libraries) there are copies of a ‘Datastream Workbook’, designed to assist students using Datastream.
This has been updated to include new content, such as a ‘Company Information – Quick Reference’ section (with: Share Price Data, Chart: Share Price Data for multiple companies plotted against a Price Index, Company Accounts and Company Overview of Performance).
In addition, the search procedures for Datastream Advance 5.0 and Datastream Advance for Office (Excel Add-In) are set out through a number of research questions. Step by step answers with screen shots, including use of the Navigator function (Find Series and Datatypes) are designed to promote independent learning and supplement the support from Library Staff.
Datastream is available to use by current students and staff of the University of Manchester.
Facebook IPO
Today is the Facebook IPO (Initial Public Offering) on the US NASDAQ exchange. Facebook has gone from being a private to a public company offering 421.23 Million shares at $38.00 each.
Information available on Bloomberg includes:
- FB US Equity – Bloomberg Ticker, US30303M1027 – ISIN, 30303M102 – CUSIP, B7TL820 US – SEDOL1, company identifiers from DES (Description)
- GIP (Tick Price Chart) – intra day price chart (at time of writing high $45.00, low $38.00, and average $39.93)
- SEC Form S-1 (Registration Statement) filed 1 Feb 2012 and other filings with the SEC (regulator) – Bloomberg function CF (Company Filings)
- Analysts research (BRC) and estimates (EE)
- and lots and lots of news on Facebook and its IPO
The Bloomberg IPO function shows that Facebook as by far the largest IPO this year.
If you want details of Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook shares you need to look at the class-B shares – use Bloomberg’s MSH (Multiple Share Holdings) function.
Thomson Research has 11 analysts reports on Facebook. (See Thompson Research Tips )
Thomson One Banker has details of the Facebook IPO in its deals module (see Deals information from Thomson One Banker ) and financials and financial market info in its company analysis module. [FB-O -TOB Ticker, C901820175- TOB key, 30303M102 - CUSIP, B7TL820 - SEDOL]
For informed comment on the valuation of Facebook see Facebook and “Field of Dreams”: Hoodies, Hubris and Hoopla from Aswath Damodaran’s Musings on Markets blog.
Related FAQs on Manchester Business Answers 24/7:
Research awareness and dissemination
Looking to find related research?
The other side of this coin is to consider how you could disseminate your research findings.
Academic journals
Getting your research published in a academic journals is fundamental to academic research. Peer review provides a guarantee of the quality of your work. In general, the higher the journal ranking the better: this will improve the chance of others finding and citing your work, and help you get an academic job/promotion.
In looking at related research you can use journal rankings as one approach to filtering a large set of “might be interesting related” papers. You can also use cited reference searching to find out other papers that have sighted your key papers.
- Where can I do cited reference searching?
- Keeping up to date – journal citation and current awareness services web page
Institutional and subject repositories
Manchester eScholar is the University of Manchester’s institutional repository and a primary dissemination route for all University of Manchester research. You can search Manchester eScholar directly or the University research directory, which is based on the data in eScholar.
SSRN (Social Sciences Research Network) is an eLibrary with over 300,000 full-text papers. This includes working papers that later get further developed into academic journal papers.
If there is a research group, or an individual, whose research is closely related to yours then try to search their institutional repository and/or working papers.
- Where can I find research in business and finance done at Manchester Business School?
- Where can I find working papers?
- Finding working papers – Judge Business School Library blog post (26 Mar 2012).
Social media: blogs, twitter, …
There is growing interest in the use of social media in the dissemination of research.
- Your favourite academic tweeters (including business and management list) LSE Impact of Social Sciences (2 Sept 2011)
- Twitter for academic research – Judge Business School Library – New Media for Researchers (10 Feb 2012)
- Examples of academic and research blogs - Judge Business School Library – New Media for Researchers (18 May 2011)
- Academic bloggers in business and economics - Business & Economics Information Solutions (Warwick Library) (15 Dec 2011)
You should certainly consider social media as a medium for research dissemination. Browse what others have done and decide what is right for you. One common message is to think of social media as enabling a conversation about research ideas and findings.
Surprisingly (to me at least) blogs do not seem to be an efficient way of finding out about current research in business and management. There are some interesting blogs, (e.g. Leaders We Deserve and Whitehall Watch from MBS academics) but these can be hard to find and often focus on commenting on current events from an academic perspective rather than on research. [There are of course also several interesting blogs from business school libraries.]
Perhaps social media is all about building a network of contacts – people who might lead you to interesting idea you would otherwise overlook. It is not a replacement for the traditional techniques for finding related research but a complementary technique.
Final tip from the FAQ (Manchester Business Answers 24/7)
Executive pay
Executive pay has been much in the news recently. For example, Robert Peston’s blog post – Is it curtains for big executive pay (8 May 2012).
Public companies provide details of their director’s pay in their annual reports, but this is not available in all databases providing company accounts data. Two of our specialist databases that do include information on executive pay are Thomson One Banker and Bloomberg.
Using the Thomson One Banker web interface, select the Thomson Overview report in the Company Analysis module.
Thomson One Banker – executive information (click to expand)
Selecting the Key Executives link in the Thomson Overview Report will give a fuller list of executives with more detailed information.
Executives example (click to expand)
Select an individual to get more detail including compensation (basic pay/salary, bonus, long-term incentives)
In Bloomberg the function MGMT will give you details of your selected companies management structure. Selecting one of the tabs (Executives, Board, Committees, Changes) and then selecting an individual will give their details including compensation (pay).
In Bloomberg you can also use the BIO function to search for an executive by name.
Overall Bloomberg has a better user interface for finding and browsing information about executives, but you do need to be at one of the Bloomberg PCs in the Eddie Davies Library or the Precinct Library.
Related FAQs:
Where can I find current and historical company annual reports?
(There is no current FAQ on Manchester Business Answers 24/7 that covers executive pay – a job to be done)
Industry reports and statistics
Where do I find industry statistics and reports?
This was one of the most popular Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Jan-Mar 2012. (See FAQ popular questions page for full list)
We have checked and revised the answer.
The Bloomberg command is now BI (Bloomberg Industries) and there seems to have been considerable effort on this area of Bloomberg recently. It now covers around 100 industries (some North America only but most global) and additional information available via to Bloomberg help key.
(Previous post – mobile phone industry data on Bloomberg )
GMID from Euromonitor concentrates on consumer goods, but also includes a wide range of country-specific industry reports in Passport Industrial.
Datamonitor industry profiles are available from both Business Source Premier and Thomson Research. ( See post – Industry information from Thomson Research )
When looking for information on an industry consider using market research databases, business news and trade journals.
Manchester Business Answers 24/7
Online FAQ database from the MBS library service. See the
FAQ - online help page for more details.MBS Library - Flickr
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