‘Bloomberg Visual Guide’ Books

Bloomberg Visual Guides                                                                            

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.

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.

Freedonia: We asked, You answered.

Recently MBS Library Service obtained access to the “Freedonia – Focus Reports Collection” for a one month trial period. The Freedonia Group is a leading international industry market research company which provides its clients with the data and analysis needed to make an informed business decision.

We asked you to take a look at the database and let us know your view of this innovative Market Research tool.  Thanks to all who took part in our online survey. 

Findings demonstrated that 70% of respondents when questioned, stated that “Freedonia” provides them with the key material/additional data or functionality necessary to their studies/research or teaching.

The Focus Report Collection is an online, subscription based product that provides insight and analysis into over 700 business and industry topics.  Each 18 – 25 page report includes concise and valuable information on market size, product and market forecasts, industry composition, market leaders, regulatory issues and business trends. The database is useful in a variety of academic disciplines including business and commerce, engineering, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, food and nutrition, agriculture, energy, earth sciences, technology and for those involved in the commercialization of products and services. It’s easy to use and has the rich functionality which makes it an ideal database for iPads.   

We also asked if you had any further feedback. Your comments will really help us when deciding whether to subscribe to the “Freedonia” database. Comments included:

• “A Good Resource!”
• “Simple Lay-out – Good Data Coverage”
• “Good choice of database”
• “Very USA focused”
• “Very useful and comprehensive database”
• “Provides the relevant resources for our ESRC-funded projects at MBS”

Thanks again for your participation in this assessment , we’ll  now be able to make an informed decision about a future purchase.  Please contact us should you wish to provide us with any further comments.

Bloomberg new interface and new help search

Bloomberg is looking a little different.

Several buttons (including Export, Terminal and Help) have been replaced by icons in the top right.

If you look at an equity, e.g.  GSK LN Equity Go, you get a simplified screen showing the 10 most used functions (DES, GP …)  divided into 8 categories: Company Overview, Company Analysis, Research and Estimates, Comparative Analysis, Charting and Reporting, Security Surveillance, Trade Analytics and Derivatives.  The full range of functions is still available by selecting one of these category headings, and there are similar simplified main screens for other market sectors.

The DES (Description) function has been improved. For Equities it now provides its output in 4 tabs: Profile, Issue Info, Ratios (includes link for Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow) and Revenue & EPS.

Bloomberg DES (Description) Example (click to expand)

For quick access to an company overview report, there is EQR (Equity Report Writer) in the Charting and Reporting section as an alternative to getting reports from DES (Description).

Additional Help

There is now an additional way of searching for information on Bloomberg.  Type keywords describing the data that you are seeking and then press the green HELP key. Examples:

• apple sales 2010 HELP
• uk GDP HELP
• uk us exchange rate HELP

Press the HELP key in the Bloomberg Help Search screen (HLP) and you get help on using this help.  It provides help where the predictive search either gives no matching functions or securities, or gives several matches and you don’t know which one to pick.

Updated FAQ answer

• How can I get help using Bloomberg?

Includes more links to online resources

 

Books authored by MBS faculty

Updated the FAQ answer:

•  Where can I find books authored by MBS faculty?

 

One recent example -

Engelen, E., Erturk, I., Froud, J., Leaver, A., Moran, M. and Williams, K. (2011) After The Great Complacence: Financial Crisis and the Politics of Reform. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Video – After the great complacence: predictions for the future

“All about..” New finance book series now available

We have just received delivery of a number of titles from McGraw Hill’s “All about” Finance series, which are now available to borrow from the Eddie Davies & Precinct libraries. Though targeted primarily at investors these books provide clear and easy to understand introductions to a variety of hot investment topics. As an example the book about Derivatives focuses on: The various derivative contracts (including forwards, futures, swaps and options); Pricing methods and mathematics for determining fair value and Hedging Strategies for managing and reducing investment risk.

The titles of the books now available to borrow are given below – You can click on the links provided to check current availability of the individual titles.

• All About Commodities
• All About Candlestick Charting
• All About Derivatives
• All About Exchange-Traded Funds
• All about Forex Trading
• All About Dividend Investing
• All About Investing in Gold
• All About Market Indicators
• All About Market Timing
• All About High-Frequency Trading
• All About Day Trading

Bloomberg – tip of the week

Bloomberg has been popular this week: busy training sessions, database clinics and users finding a whole range of different resources (including – UK company data, Danish company data, Baltic dry index, supply chain information, mobile phone worldwide sales, risk free rates and credit default swaps).

Tip of the week

On may Bloomberg screens you will see a little pin symbol when you hover over a name or value. You can click and drag this into the command line at the top of another Bloomberg window, and then use DES to get a description, GP to get a price graph etc. This is very valuable if you see a current value and want to find out if historical data is available.

Bloomberg commodities screen (click to expand)

The Bloomberg function CMDS gives the screen above. You can hover over a figure (the pin symbol appears) and then click and drag to paste the corresponding Bloomberg ticker in another window.

Online Bloomberg information

Several other business schools world wide have Bloomberg so you may find the advice and tips they provide a useful complement to ours. Best examples found so far:

• Bloomberg Guide from George A. Smathers Libraries
• Bloomberg FAQs from Harvard Business School
• Bloomberg FAQs from Princeton University Library

We have updated our own FAQ answer to mention the new Bloomberg Suite:

•  Does the library have a Bloomberg terminal?

Finally, as University of Cambridge Judge Business School Library say:

[although] Bloomberg looks different to other databases you will find it is easier to use than you’d expect thanks to its predictive text functionality, help menus and 24/7 chat support …

From –  http://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/infolib/2012/01/27/bloomberg-2/

Essential Research Apps: GoodReader

Despite its modest name, GoodReader is a stunning execution of a simple idea — one app that can import and view any media in any format, from basic .txt files to entire books and even movies. But this robust and versatile app lets you do more than just read.

As an example let’s say someone posts a huge report on Google Docs for you to review. The app allows you to import it, then use GoodReader’s sterling annotation function to mark it up with all kinds of notes and comments.

When you’re done, save it, mark it as read, and send it right back to Google Docs, Dropbox, or an FTP server, or via any other file-sharing method. An autosync function lets you standardise the document in both locations so no one gets confused about which version to use.

Full-screen viewing on the iPad means no more squinting or zooming problems, and even spread layouts are easily navigated with an intuitive horizontal swipe. (If you want to zoom, though, you certainly can.) A tabbed view, with functions on the right-hand side, provides about the simplest navigation ever seen.

GoodReader isn’t free, but its incredible compatibility and flexibility means it can replace many other apps on your tablet. It’s quite simply one of the most useful services out there.

Give this app a try and watch how it transforms the way you are able to record data, whether you’re in a meeting, on the move or at home.

To access simply download the app from your App provider.

 

Remember if you’re using an iPad make certain to add the MBS Library Service  page to your Home Screen for easy access to all the Resources we have to offer you for your research. Simply open our page then tap the arrow in a box symbol next to the top URL line and then select “Add to Home Screen”. You can even edit the name of the Web Icon, after you’ve done this – tap the “Add” button.

Analysts’ reports on Thomson Research

Analysts’ reports (brokers’ reports) are written by respected analysts within investment banks, brokerage houses and consulting firms worldwide for their clients.

Current University of Manchester staff and students have access to an extensive analysts’ reports collection through Thomson Research (the collection was previously called Investext).

Thomson Research company lookup (click to expand)

Analysts write their reports for clients who are mostly interested in companies as an investment opportunity so they cover public (quoted) companies and there will be more reports for larger companies. Reports vary from short buy/hold/sell recommendations to longer detailed analysis of company strategies.

For further information on Thomson Research:

• Thomson Research tips
• Thomson Research only works with IE
• all Thomson Research posts
• “Thomson Research” from library database guides

For FAQ answer on analysts’ reports:

How do I find analyst reports (investment bank reports)?

This also mentions how to get analysts’ reports on Bloomberg.