By Mark Flatman, Global Head of Core Terminal at Bloomberg LP
The massive shift to working from home has posed challenges large and small for the financial world. In addition to broader concerns about connectivity, security and maintaining contact with clients remotely, the new normal of COVID-19 also has bankers, traders, and financial professionals asking themselves questions like: how do I manage with just a laptop when I am used to a four-screen setup in the office? If I can’t view the markets and my trading book side-by-side, how many more clicks does it take me to make a trade?
At Bloomberg, we understand these challenges as we are facing them ourselves while working remotely and are the ones who get the call when our clients have a question about their “new normal.” Even when these challenges are large and complex, they can often be made easier just by knowing there’s a simple function that can reduce an hour of manual work to a single keystroke.
Here are my top 5 hacks to help you navigate the markets from home:
ANY <GO>/WFH <GO>:
These functions have quick tips and tricks from how to access the Bloomberg Terminal on your mobile device, to how to set up your remote workstation. For example, as people work from home and are looking to make the most of diminished screen real estate. We’ve developed a more browser-like experience, where users can open multiple tabs, without giving up space on their screen.
VRUS<GO>:
There’s no shortage of news and information on all things COVID-19. Here you can monitor the market impact of the coronavirus with latest stock prices, key indicators and headlines. The function also includes a link to MAP VIRUS, an enhancement to the MAP tool that enables users to track the outbreak of the virus and analyze impacts on a company- or sector-level basis.
VCA<GO>:
One of the largest economic consequences of this pandemic is market volatility. VCA allows you to analyze volatility across a universe of underlying securities including equity indices, index components, major commodities, and foreign exchange rates.
OILS<GO>:
With the historic drop to negative prices, this function enables users to monitor the volatile oil market. With price tracking, key indicators, and news headlines, OILS is a snapshot view of all the latest information needed to stay informed on what is happening in the oil markets.
EIB:
Our Enterprise Workspace (EIB) allows non Bloomberg Terminal users to have a limited form of intra-firm IB, as well access to other collaboration tools such as MSG and NOTE. The tool provides another method of intra-firm communication by, for example, enabling clients in the back or middle office to better communicate with the front office. To help customers, we have offered this free of charge through September.
Along with these “hacks,” Bloomberg also continually hosts webinars and virtual discussions on a wide range of virus- and work from home-related topics, such as tips on how to handle the liquidity crisis presented by Covid-19, to understanding cybersecurity risks due to the current circumstances. For a list of all upcoming virtual events, visit SMNR <GO>.
The views represented in this commentary are those of its author and do not reflect the opinion of Traders Magazine, Markets Media Group or its staff. Traders Magazine welcomes reader feedback on this column and on all issues relevant to the institutional trading community.
