- Like most of the freshman this time around, I decided to attend the Bloomberg workshop. Despite having no idea what a Bloomberg terminal was or how it worked, I entered the trading floor with excitement and a willingness to learn. The first thing I noticed was the strange setup of the Bloomberg computers and keyboard. The keyboard had some keys that were color coded and had special labels. Instead of one monitor there were two, with wires snaking together in the back and joining together at the plug. Once I was logged in I opened the Bloomberg application and the screen turned black, with yellow writing covering the monitors and some open tabs where I could type in searches. The instructor then proceeded to begin explaining some of the plentiful functions of the terminal, such as the help icon which was in the form of a question mark at the top right of the screen. He began delving into different searches we could make, such as checking up on a certain year’s revenue for different companies. The example he used was VISA. Then, he began showing us the different i icons on the left side of the screen which could reveal more and more details in regards to the search. I was fascinated and felt so adult and like I was a part of something secret only only a few people are ever able to grasp. Admittedly, I was very confused the entire time as I had no previous experience with trading computers, stocks, or anything in this particular field. However, I was so intrigued by the program that I decided that I wanted to try out taking a class which would teach me the basics and explain to me step by step all the functions of trading computers so one day I could use the Bloomberg terminal with full confidence.
Tag: #careerDevelopment
Bloomberg Workshop
When I first heard about the Bloomberg Workshop, I had no idea what to expect because I have never heard of this software before. To be really honest, I thought it was somehow connected to the previous Mayor Bloomberg. But I learned that the Bloomberg Terminal was a program used to keep track of different companies and stocks. It was very interesting to me, even though I was still very confused by the end of the workshop. I knew very little about stocks, and seeing all those numbers split into two computer screens accompanied by a colorful keyboard was very hectic at first. But as the instructor taught us the basics, I learned how to find the different stocks and data a company had. It was very interesting to see the history of different companies and their products. For example, the data for iPods were discontinued in 2014 (I think, I forgot) due to it’s decline in popularity and demand.
I would say that this workshop gave me my first ever insight in the world of economics and finance. Stocks had always seemed very intimidating and confusing to me but this workshop showed me that with a little bit of learning, it’s not as hard as it seems. Of course, all of it is still confusing since the instructor just taught us how to work the program. It also made me proud to be part of a school that provides access to extremely pricey programs like these. Maybe one day I’ll be more comfortable with the program, but it was definitely interesting to learn about something completely new.
Bloomberg Workshop
Attending my first workshop in Baruch. I didn’t quite know what I was attending. All I knew was that I had to attend a workshop in order to write this blog, and that I was following my friends. Upon arrival, there were only 10 designated stations that had the specialized program called “Bloomberg”. The program itself costs $24,000 a year. The stations were also accompanied by specialized Bloomberg keyboards as well. There was well over 10 students within that workshop, so we had to share between 2-3 students per station.
For a bit of background to what Bloomberg is, Bloomberg is a professional service that provides financial software tools. The financial software tools are such as an analytics and equity trading platform, data services, and news to financial companies and organizations through the Bloomberg Terminal.
The instructor of the workshop was teaching us how to navigate through the program itself. He showed us how to open data, equity, and charts that show the companies history. There are certain keys that you can type as a shortcut to navigate through the program. He then told us to look at the history chart of a specific company. He then proceeded to teach us on how to transfer the data from chart onto Microsoft Excel.
The instructor was patient, and went around the room helping those who were struggling to follow his instructions. The course itself did not teach us how to analyze the data or what the information presented meant. The only thing we learned was how to navigate through the program, and how to transfer the information. Overall I found the workshop to be quite useless for someone who doesn’t have a core fundamental understanding.
Bloomberg Trading System, The Bang That’s Worth Your Buck.
I don’t even know where to start, I like many of my peers was distraught on what to do for my next blog post, since I checked off student life, and was saving academics for my last blog post in the light of an upcoming class trip to the MoMa. With career being my last workshop left, I decided to turn to the trusted Baruch email, where the weekly newsletter highlights the week’s key events and workshops. I immediately saw “Bloomberg” on many dates, uncertain of what it was I decided to pursue it anyways, due to it being flexible with my schedule. I am so happy I decided to go! Being, undecided in my major (in terms of whether I want move forward in Economics or Finance) the workshop opened my eyes, and just made my decision even harder. The Bloomberg Trading System, was founded by Michael Bloomberg in 1981, and the system comes with a rather hefty price tag at 24,000 a year. However, Baruch in the stock floor offers 11 of these computers, meaning they have 11 subscriptions. At first, I was like how could such a little colored keyboard cost so much, when there are alternatives like Google Finance, Yahoo Finance, and even one provided by CNN. But then as the workshop I quickly began to understand, why thousand of subscribers use the system. One of the things that I found most interesting was, the little question mark symbol that appears on each of the Bloomberg screens, and once you click on the question mark it explains whatever you are looking at. The system also has a help and search button, however it isn’t like any other. That is because, When you press that green search button (familiar to the Bloomberg keyboard), it opens the search engine,and you can put in any trending queries or what you’re looking for, when you type what you’re looking for, press enter or go. What comes up is a help menu, that will try to figure out what you’re looking for, whereas, the left hand side gives categories, narrows it down to what you’ll most likely be looking for. This can be used if you’re unsure what bloomberg has. A little tip is, by pressing F1 key, does all of this with skipping the steps. The workshop also taught me, the function of: Ticker F8 and DES, Ticker F8 RV, Ticker F8 ANR, Ticker F8 GP, where ticker is the company’s abbreviation (e.g Visa, its ticker is V). The blogpost is to limited to explain it all, but if you are interested, Bloomberg University events, classes, and web events that you can sign up for. You Can even make your own sign up, build your own portfolio, and watch your own information, but must sign up at the terminal(Stock Room).