Richard Jakotowicz, associate instructor of finance at the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, compiled this list of the more commonly used functions within the Bloomberg Terminal. Bloomberg provides thousands of functions that can be accessed by utilizing the “Help” Key. The Bloomberg Terminal is one of many data feeds and resources available in the Lerner College’s Michael and Rosann Geltzeiler Trading Center, which is commonly used by finance, economics, hospitality, accounting, MIS and other classes, as well as the Blue Hen Investment Club, to put theory into practice and benefit from real-world experiences that provide them with unique skill sets.
The red “CONN DEFAULT” Key = Located at the top right corner of the keyboard, the “CONN
DEFAULT” key allows you to login and logout of the system.
The green “HELP” Key = Located on the top left corner of the keyboard, the “HELP” key is the most used function in Bloomberg. It can be used 3 different ways:
- On any screen that you are viewing, hitting the HELP key will provide you with a manual
describing all the analytics for that particular screen. Note that the help manuals are multiple
pages so you need to use the PG FWD key to move forward. - You can use the HELP key to do a search for any Security, Person, Government, Analytics,
etc. Just type the word you want to know about then press the HELP key. Bloomberg will
provide a directory of choices to help you refine the search results. - If you hit the HELP key twice, an Instant Message Chat Box will appear and you can chat
online with the Bloomberg Help Desk. They are available 24/7 to answer user questions
Overview Codes
The following codes can be entered followed by the <GO> or enter key. These
codes provide general screens from which more detailed analysis can be done by using the
mouse.
- MAIN – Displays a list of broad categories in various markets
- N, TOP – Real-time news
- EASY – Tips and shortcuts
- MSGM – Main messaging system
- GLCO –Global commodity prices
- NRG – Energy markets
- CBQ – Country Directory
- BTMM – Country rates, indexes, economic releases, and currency.
- FXIP – Foreign exchange spot rates, forwards, options, and forecasts
- FXC – Foreign exchange cross spot rates
- ECO – Current economic releases by country
- ECST – Current and historical economic statistics by country
- STAT – Functions for global economic, financial, energy, and commodities
- WEI, WEIF – World Equity Indexes and Futures
- WB, WBF, WBI – Word Bond Yields and Futures
- WPE – World Equity PE Ratios
- IMAP – Global equity performance
- IMOV – Index movers
- MOST – Most active stocks
- EMI – Exchange volumes
- GRR or MRR – Group or Member ranked returns
- IBQ – Industry Analysis
- BBSA – Equity Analyst surveys
- MA – Mergers and acquisitions
- ECDR – Equity calendar, IPO’s
- LEAG – Investment Bank Underwriter rankings
- OECD – Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development
- FED – Federal Reserve Portal
- FFIP – Fed Funds Rate Probability
- FOMC – Federal Open Market Committee results and minutes
- BLAW – Legal Search
- AV – Prerecorded and live broadcasts
- WEAT – Weather reports and derivatives
- RE – Real Estate
- FUND – Mutual fund search
- GRAB – Type “Grab” on any screen to email the screen as a jpeg file.
- BU – Bloomberg University, Cheatsheets and Seminars
- CERT – Certification Exams
- PEOP, JOBS – People and Job Search
- PDF – Personal defaults
- BLP – Bloomberg Launchpad allows you to create a custom screen with a stock monitor
- NW – To create a custom market monitor
- ALRT – To have Bloomberg alert you of price movements.
- EIU – The Economist Intelligence Unit
- BBXL – To pull current and historical data into Excel
- LAST – Allows you to see you the last 8 screens you visited
Common Equity Codes
These codes should be entered after typing: your stock symbol & F8
- DES – Description (be sure to page forward for more data)
- BQ – Quote screen with fundamental data
- GP, GPO, GIP, GEG – Graphs
- COMP – When viewing a graph, “COMP” allows you to compare returns against 2 other securities
- G – to build custom graphs
- CN – Company specific news
- HP – Historical pricing and volume
- HCPI – Historical open, high, low, and closing prices
- DVD – Dividends
- CACS – Corporate actions
- ANR – Analyst recommendations
- ERN – Earnings summary
- EE – Earnings estimates
- EM – Earnings matrix
- BBEA – Earnings related news
- CF – Corporate Filings
- CRPR – Credit profile
- ISSD – Capital structure, cash flow, and credit information
- FA – Financial Analysis Templates
- RELS – All securities / subsidiaries
- HDS – All large shareholders
- RV – Relative valuation against competition
- OMON – Options
- OVME – Black-Scholes Option Pricing
- HIVG – Historical Implied Volatility
- BETA – Beta calculator
- CORR – Correlation calculator
- MKAC – Market Makers (NASDAQ)
- SIDE – Advertised buyers and sellers (Institutional)
- SRCH – Bond Search
- Common Fixed Income Codes
- BBT – US Treasury Bills, Notes, Bonds, and TIPS
- PX1 – Treasury actives
- YCRV – Yield curves
- CURV, FWCV – Forward curves
- FMCI – Fair market curve indices
- BYFC – Bond yield forecast
- IRSM – Interest rate and credit derivatives
- GCDS, WCDS, CDSD – Credit Default Swap Analysis
- YA – Yield Analysis
- YAS – Yield and spread analysis
- OAS1 – Option adjusted spread calculator
- DES – Description
- RATC – Company credit rating revisions
- DDIS – Debt distribution
- ALLQ – Quotes for all providers
- NIM – New issue bonds
- PICK – Bloomberg bond picks
- STGO – State Municipal Bond Ratings
- MTAX – State Income Tax Rates
- MYC – Compare Muni’s to Treasuries Tax Neutral