Business Tutorial: Bloomberg

The Frederick S. Pardee Management Library currently provides students access to the Bloomberg for Education certificates program. You can choose between the Bloomberg Market Concepts, the Bloomberg Finance Fundamentals, and the Environmental Social Governance certificates.

Only available to current Boston University students, staff and faculty.

• Program enrollment: To sign up for the program you must register with Pardee Library at pardstf@bu.edu
• Program Contact: Kathleen Berger (bergerkm@bu.edu), 617-353-4312, Monday – Friday 9-5.
• Time: Students can work on the program at their own pace. Program participants must sign up to book the Bloomberg terminal and can do so up to one week in advance by e-mailing pardstf@bu.edu or at the Pardee Services Desk. Program participants can book one 1-hour session per day.
• Library Hours: Be sure to check library hours before you drop in. If you come in before or after the Reference Services hours, remember to consult the sign up sheet located next to the Bloomberg terminal.

1. Double click the Bloomberg icon on the desktop of the machine to launch Bloomberg.
2. Once Bloomberg is open, click on  <Enter/GO> to bring up the log-in screen.
3. Select the Create New Login option below the Login Name and Password boxes.
   
   

4. Follow the instructions on each screen to fill in your personal information including your BU.edu email address and your cell phone number in order to receive your validation code.

5. Once Bloomberg has sent you a validation code either via SMS text, automated phone call or email enter it in the appropriate field and press Continue.

6. Create your personal Password and then '“Click here to return to the login screen”. 

All BU students can take courses towards the Bloomberg Market Concepts or Environmental Social Governance certificates using either the Bloomberg Terminal or the Bloomberg for Education website.

Here are the steps for signing up using the Bloomberg Terminal:

1. Enter BCER into the search bar, then press <GO>. 

Bloomberg will open a window with the available courses, and an option to launch directly. Do not launch the course without clicking sign up on this screen (left hand menu). The course will load, but you may experience issues re-entering the course later if you attempt to log in during a different session.

2. Click Sign Up located on the left hand menu, then click "I am a Learner" and agree to the terms, then click the Sign Up  button at the bottom. 

3. Once you have logged in, click Launch Course, which will open the BCER website with your Bloomberg account already logged in.

 4. To view the available courses, click Certificates in the top menu.

5. Select the certificate you wish to complete, and click Learn More.

6. Select which module you would like to begin, and click the title.

7. This will show you the videos connected with each module, click Start to begin viewing.

Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) is a library of e-learning courses that provides an introduction to financial markets and the core functionality of the Bloomberg terminal. Students can access BMC for free on a Bloomberg terminal.
By taking BMC, you will:

• Learn about the financial markets.
• Familiarize yourself with over 150 Bloomberg terminal functions.
• Solidify your knowledge with over 200 interactive questions.

Certificate of Completion
After completing BMC, a certificate of completion is available for download.

Note: You will have one year from your registration date to finish the Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) certificate.

BMC Modules Required for Certificate:

Economic Indicators - 1 hour

• The Primacy of GDP
• Monitoring GDP
• Forecasting GDP

Currencies - 1 hour 

• Currency Market Mechanics
• Currency Valuation
• Central Banks and Currencies
• Currency Risk

Fixed Income - 3 hours

• The Roots of the Bond Market
• Bond Valuation 
• Central Bankers and Interest Rates
• The Yield Curve and Why It Matters
• Movements in the Yield Curve

Equities - 3 hours 

• Introducing the Stock Market
• The Nature of Equities
• Equity Research
• Absolute Valuation
• Relative Valuation

Optional BMC Modules: 

Terminal Basics - 2 hours

• Using the Terminal
• Analyzing the Market
• Exploring the Equity Market
• Discovering the Fixed Income Market
• Building an Equity Portfolio
  

Commodities  - 2 hours

• Introduction to Commodities
• Commodity Fundamentals
• Commodities Trading
• Commodity Players 

Equity Options - 2 hours

• Introduction to Stock Options
• Using the Language of the Options Market
• The Role of a Stock Options Trader
• Basic Multi-leg Strategies

Portfolio Management - 2 hours

• Defining a Portfolio Manager
• Generating Ideas for a Portfolio 
• Building an Equity Portfolio
• Analyzing a Portfolio
• Assessing Portfolio Risk

The Bloomberg ESG Certificate is a self-paced, interactive e-learning course that shows learners how to implement ESG strategies and prepare ESG reports for regulators through the lens of a fictitious buy-side asset management firm. You'll follow practitioners at the firm as they launch new ESG products to meet client demand and implement ESG strategies into their investment process. Students can access BMC for free on a Bloomberg terminal.
By taking ESG, you will:

• Describe ESG trends and common ESG investment strategies.
• Analyze how asset managers integrate ESG considerations into their investment decision-making process.
• Explain how shareholder activism influences corporate behavior.
• Practice tasks within various stages of the investment process.

Certificate of Completion
After completing ESG, a certificate of completion is available for download.

Note: You will have one year from your registration date to finish the Bloomberg ESG certificate.

ESG Modules Required for Certificate:

Introduction to ESG & Sustainable Finance - 1 hour

• Explain ESG factors and sustainable investing.
• Define financial materiality.
• Describe the growth of ESG AUM and ETF flows.
• Explain the origins of sustainable investing.

Researching and Adopting ESG - 1 hour 

• Describe ESG trends and common ESG investment strategies.
• Describe drivers that led to the rise of sustainable investing.
• Analyze how asset managers research ESG market demand to inform sustainability priorities.
• Negative Exclusionary Screening and Positive Screening.
• Explain negative exclusionary and positive screening strategies.
• Use Bloomberg tools to perform negative and positive security screening for idea generation.

Negative Screening & Positive Screening - 1 hour

• Explain negative exclusionary and positive screening strategies.
• Use Bloomberg tools to perform negative and positive security screening for idea generation.

ESG Integration - Fixed Income - 1 hour 

• Analyze integration of ESG considerations into the fixed income workflow.
• Use Bloomberg tools to perform sustainable debt analysis.
  

ESG Integration – Equities - 1 hour

• Analyze integration of ESG considerations into the equity workflow.
• Use Bloomberg tools to perform equity analysis.

Corporate Governance & Shareholder Activism - 1 hour

• Explain corporate governance and how shareholder activism is used to influence corporate behavior.
• Use Bloomberg tools to analyze shareholder activist sentiments and prepare for company engagement.

Reporting Sustainability Activities - 1 hour

• Explain EU Taxonomy and SFDR.
• Use Bloomberg to check for EU Taxonomy alignment and create SFDR reports.

Bloomberg Finance Fundamentals (BFF) is a self-paced, interactive e-learning course that provides an introduction to the key concepts involved in finance and investment. Throughout the course, you’ll explore real-life scenarios through the perspectives of various professionals, helping you to manage your money and build an understanding of the different careers available across the finance sector. Students can access BMC for free on a Bloomberg terminal. By taking Bloomberg Finance Fundamentals, you will: 

• Learn how money flows through an economy. 
• Discover some of the investment strategies that can help individuals and businesses grow their money while navigating the varying risks associated with them. 
• Define responsible investing and its benefits to individuals, businesses and society. 
• Explore different career paths alongside some tools and strategies to help you pursue them. 

The Purpose of Investing - 1.5 hours

• Identify the building blocks of an economy and how money flows through the financial system. 
• Describe the difference between saving and investing and explain the importance of each. 
• Explain some of the factions that enable small businesses to grow and go public. 

Type of Investment - 1.5 hours 

• Describe how buyside and sellside institutions serve households and companies respectively. 
• Explore some of the different financial instruments available to households and companies 
• Understand how currency and commodity fluctuations can affect business decisions. 
• Examine how central banks help ensure currency stability. 
• Identify the types of financial risk that companies face and the actions they can take to mitigate against them. 

Risk and Reward - 1.5 hours

• Identify some of the key signals, characteristics, and outcomes of financial fraud. 
• Explain what a stock exchange is and the risks and rewards associated with trading within one. 
• Explore how different stakeholders, such as regulators and credit rating agencies, work together to maintain the integrity of the financial system. 
• Illustrate the role of media and explore some of the ways it can influence the actions of investors. 

Portfolio Management - 1.5 hours

• Differentiate the roles and responsibilities of buyside and sellside analysts. 
• Explore some of the strategies used by portfolio managers to protect and grow investments. 
• Define responsible investing and its benefits to individuals, businesses, and society. 
• Apply the concepts learnt throughout this course to assess a range of investment strategies. 

How long do I have access to Bloomberg for Education (BFE) account?

You have lifetime access to BFE. Please not that your BFE expiration is independent of your Terminal login expiration. 

Does BFE content qualify for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits?
Yes, our certificates, interactive videos, and webinars are CPD accredited. You can find more information on Bloomberg Professional Services

Where do I input my class code?
You can input your Class Code on the BFE signup screen or on the learner dashboard screen immediately after you log in.

Can I pause a module and resume it at a later date?

Yes. When you log back into the module, it will reopen where you left off.

Can I just do one module?

Yes. However, to earn the certificate of completion, you must complete all required modules, indicated by the blur ribbon next to the course module name.

Is there a pass/fail mark learners need to achieve in order to obtain the certificate?

No. It is a certificate of completion.

When do I get the certificate?
Once you completed the required modules, log into your BFE account and go to the certificates tab. Click on the "completed" button for the respective certificate. You will see the option to download and/or obtain the verification link.

Is my score private?

Yes. Per our Privacy Policy, your personal information and score are private. However, if you are using a class code given by your institution, your professor will be able to see your module score.

Can I download the videos?

No. The videos are the property of Bloomberg LP.

Why am I hitting the paywall if I have a Bloomberg Terminal subscription? 
Terminal subscribers can have access for free when logged into the terminal. Make sure you click on the "Launch course" button after login. Also check if your default browser is set to Chrome or Firefox. 

Why am I getting a blank screen when trying to play a video?

Try watching the course on Firefox or Chrome. If you are still having problems, reach out to bbg.edu@bloomberg.net.