Portsmouth Business School
Bloomberg software at fingertips of business students
Tue, Mar 23, 2010
The new terminals, used by financial professionals daily to make fast-paced investment, trading and financial decisions will allow students to monitor and analyze real-time financial market data movements and trade virtually.
Located in one of the Business School’s IT suites, the terminals will be used by accounting, finance and economics students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, providing hands-on training in financial market instruments.
Principal Lecturer in Accounting and Finance, Richard Trafford, said this new equipment will be an excellent resource for students and staff: “The Bloomberg terminals will provide current data in a real-time environment and will also be used for research as they are a rich source of historic financial information.
“These terminals will build students’ practical skills in accessing and analyzing financial information and will be hugely beneficial to researchers who want to examine data to explore, form and test hypotheses for research projects.
“Most large financial firms use Bloomberg terminals so having them at the University will be really valuable in preparing students for employment.”
The terminals will be used mainly in the new undergraduate finance degree and across the board on postgraduate programmes. They have dual flat-panel screens and specialist customized keyboards.
“Although the look and feel of the keyboard is similar to a standard computer keyboard, there are several enhancements that help the user jump from function to function. Learning how to navigate through the Bloomberg system while still studying will really put Portsmouth graduates ahead of the game,” said Richard.
Dreamed up by the current mayor of New York, Mike Bloomberg, the Bloomberg terminal is 20 years old and used by over a quarter of a million finance professionals globally. The system also allows users to chart historical prices, read news, and communicate with other Bloomberg users around the world.
Head of the Department of Accounting and Finance, Clare Callaghan said: “If our students know the Bloomberg system I am convinced they will have a competitive advantage when finding internships and career opportunities. It will be a valuable addition to their skill set.”