Bloomberg: Getting Started: Basics

The Bloomberg Terminal

A Bloomberg terminal has two monitors and a unique keyboard.

The active panel shows a blue flashing cursor. You can switch between panels using the <PANEL> key or by clicking on the panel that you wish to work on. 

In addition to the monitors and panels,  Bloomberg also has a unique keyboard. This keyboard is developed to make using the menu-driven navigation in Bloomberg easier.  

The Bloomberg keyboard

• Color-coded to provide users with quick access to data and functions. 
• Yellow Keys - Market Sector Keys        
• Green Keys  - Action Keys        
• Red Keys - Cancel & Log Off Keys

Keys to know:

• Esc/Cancel - Red key. Like a normal Escape key. Striking it will stop whatever you are doing.
• Enter/GO - Green key. Like a normal Enter key. You will use this after every command that you enter.
• Print - Green key. Press Print once to print the current page or enter number of pages you wish to print & Print (ex. 5 Print)
• Menu - Green key. Press Menu to navigate from any function back to a menu of related functions (and ultimately back to the main menu).
• End/Back - Green key. Will take you back to the key previous screen. 
• Help - Green key. Press Help key once to display help function and a description of the current function that you are using. Press help two times to email the Bloomberg  24 hour help desk. 

Basic Searching

Browsing Menus

• Bloomberg functions are organized by menus that are classified by market sector or product type. Each menu is part of a hierarchy. 
• Access menus using the Menu button on the screen, the Menu Key, or using a Yellow Market Sector Key.  

Using Function Codes 

• An alternative to using the menus is to search by function code. By entering a directly into the command bar, users can eliminate the steps. 
• There are 2 types of function codes: Security Specific, for analyzing a loaded security and Non-security specific, for locating information on a sector or news & events. 
• To load a security, enter the ticker or identifier, hit the Yellow Market Sector key that represents the asset type, and then click on the Green Enter/GO key.  
• You can always search on a keyword and press the Green F1 Help key if you don't know where to start.