Item: Bloomberg Terminal
Rating: 9
Author: Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Bloomberg Terminal

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Bloomberg Terminal for real-time pricing, especially for fixed income trading. We also use the Bloomberg Terminal for raw data that we use in our models. It's also used for communicating with brokers and colleagues. We are a big user of the PORT function to monitor attribution, assess risk and run scenario analyses.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Real time data, prices and news
Portfolio monitoring
Screening tools

Cons

Limiting data use
Cost of Bloomberg Terminal
New user on-boarding

Return on Investment

Improved decision making
Greater understanding of portfolio risk(s)
Ability to cut some other providers

Usability

It certainly takes awhile for new users to become accustom to the Bloomberg Terminal codes and shortcuts. The interface hasn't changed for a long time and remains very text-heavy compared to other more graphic based services. I wish Bloomberg Terminal would provide a little better on-boarding for new users - it feels like the firm is usually on the hook for training.

Alternatives Considered

FactSet Workstation

FactSet has a more user friendly interface in my opinion. It's easier from a data management stand point as well. It's also quite a bit cheaper than a Bloomberg Terminal. Still, Bloomberg Terminal is much better for front office trading and portfolio management. And again, the real-time market data and news coverage is much better than FactSet.

Key Insights

Do you think Bloomberg Terminal delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Bloomberg Terminal's feature set?

Yes

Did Bloomberg Terminal live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Bloomberg Terminal go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Bloomberg Terminal again?

Yes

Other Software Used

SS&C Advent Investment Suite, FactSet Workstation, S&P Capital IQ

Likelihood to Recommend

The real-time data is huge for the Bloomberg Terminal. As a portfolio manager, I rely on the Bloomberg Terminal's market pricing and news feeds to make decisions. Risk management comes into play with the PORT function. The attribution, stress testing and factor analysis is very helpful when running a book. The cost of the Bloomberg Terminal makes it less appropriate for users that don't fully engage with all of the tools.

Bloomberg Terminal Feature Ratings

Comments

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