Launchpad
BLP<GO>
To run Launchpad you must have a 4 window Bloomberg. If you do not have a 4 window Bloomberg contact the
Bloomberg Help desk by hitting the green <Help> key twice. To start Launchpad type BLP <GO> on your Bloomberg.
This will bring up the Launchpad toolbar. The Toolbar controls Launchpad and will always appear on top of other
active windows when Launchpad is running. By closing this box you will shutdown all Launchpad components. If
you minimize this box you will minimize all Launchpad components.
Auto Launch at Login- PDF <GO> 6 <GO>1<GO>
You can set Launchpad to run a saved view automatically upon logging into the Bloomberg. This can be set in the
personal defaults of your login under PDF<GO>, 6 <GO>, 1 <GO>. Under "Run BLP at startup" enter a "y" and than
select a default view to run under "Default BLP View". Hit <GO> to save your defaults.
The Launchpad Toolbar
The Launchpad toolbar consists of 5 buttons: File ,Launch, Tools, Reveal, and Help.
The FILE button is used to create, save, delete, send, print, and recall stored views. It is also used to exit
Launchpad.
The LAUNCH button is the main button used to navigate Launchpad. It is used to open a component and add it to
the current view and, launch saved "favorite“ functions in the Bloomberg window.
The TOOLS button contains the different tools used to enhance your Launchpad view. This includes adding
“favorites” to your Launch button and creating groups of functions linked to one security. For more information
see the section on “Editing Favorites” and the “Group Manager”.
The REVEAL button will bring all Launchpad components to the forefront of your desktop. Any components that
are obstructed by other windows application will be moved on top of those active applications.
The HELP button is used to access the online instructions for using Launchpad and to contact Bloomberg’s
Analytics Help Desk.
The
FILE
Button
The
FILE
Button
New
To create a new View, click the FILE button and select “New", This will prompt you to save your current view and any
changes you have made. Launchpad will close all the open components and start with an empty view. Launchpad will
allow you to create up to 20 views.
Open
To change a view hit the button and select “Open” from the menu. This will open a list of your saved views, select a view
and click on the “Open” button. The system will prompt you to save changes to the current view before it opens the
select view. If you made changes you wish to keep choose "Yes“ from the options displayed. Also, the last 5 views you
have viewed will be listed at the bottom of the “File” menu. They may be launched directly from the file menu without
using the “Open” command.
Delete
To delete a saved view, follow the steps above for changing views and open the view you wish to delete. After the view is
open, click on the button and choose "Delete". A confirmation window will appear to confirm you want to delete the
current view, click on “OK” to delete or “Cancel” to cancel the delete. Deleted views cannot be restored.
Save and Save As
If you have an existing view that you have made changes to be sure to click on File and then select Save. This will save
all components and their locations. If you would like to save your changes as a separate view thus creating a new view
select File then Save As.
The FILE Button
Subheading: one line only
Rename
Once a View is created you can name the view by hitting the button and selecting “Rename”. This will bring up a
dialogue box where you can enter a name. Hit “OK” when you are finished.
Print
There are 3 options under the Print button. Select Desktop to print out as a snapshot all of the screens on your desktop.
This will print not only your Launchpad, but also and other applications you may be running such as Microsoft Excel.
Select Launchpad Only to print a snapshot of your Launchpad desktop not including any other applications. The last
option is to print out every component of your view individually.
Send
You can share a Launchpad view with other Bloomberg users. To do this Launch the view you wish to share and then
choose “Send” from the menu. Enter the users name and click OK. If multiple users match you will be given a list of
matching users to choose from. Once you select the user the view will be sent You will get a confirmation message that
the view was sent. You can not attach a text message to a view you have sent. When Launchpad is sent to another user
the monitor configuration of the user will affect the view being sent. If the configuration of the monitors is different and
viewable areas are different Launchpad will open all components in the primary monitor and cascade the components
across the screen.
Getting Started
What is a Component?
In each of your 20 views you are able to have 25 components, or windows of data. These components include security
monitors, charts, news panels, messages, economic calendars and other company specific or broad market windows.
Each component has specific characteristics:
A. Action Key-Print, Grab, change font size, download, or
copy component.
B. Click and hold to move the component. Double click to
maximize.
C. Title of component
D. Security Editor- enter security ID and yellow key
<GO> to change
E. Recent security dropdown menu. Shows the last 5
securities viewed
F. Properties Tab- Change the default settings for this
component
G. Close this component in the current view
A B
C
D
E
F
G
Getting Started
Creating a View
Step1. Open Components
Using the Launch button begin opening and positioning Launchpad components. Components can be moved
around the desktop using point and click navigation. Each component can also be resized by grabbing the border
with the mouse.
Step 2. Edit Components
After positioning and sizing the screen click on the properties tab to set the defaults for that component or adjust
font size by clicking on the action key or drop down arrow.
Step 3. Save the View
Once a Launchpad view has been created you can save the view by clicking the File button and then choose Save.
This will save all the active components and their locations.
Step 4. Naming the View
Once a view is created you can name the view by hitting the File button and selection Rename. This will bring up
a dialogue box where you can enter a name. Hit OK when you are finished.
Getting Started
Editing a View
Changing a Security
To change the security in a single security Launchpad component you have several options.
1. Click on the securities editor field on the toolbar. Enter the new security and market sector key and hit <GO>
2. Select the properties tab from the toolbar. Click on the "Security" field and enter a new security. Hit the
"Update“ button to return.
3. Securities can be changed by dragging and dropping from any monitor in Launchpad.
4. To change the security in a Launchpad monitor see the section on "Editing Monitors"
Properties Tab
Most every Launchpad component will have a Properties. Clicking on the properties tab will allow you to edit
the component further. Generally speaking the information displayed under the properties tab will change
default settings and how the information displayed in the component. Each of the property tabs are explained in
the help pages for the individual components.
Getting Started
Editing a View
Action Key
Each Launchpad component contains a drop down menu in the upper left corner called the Action Key. This menu
will allow you to customize the look of a component or capture data from a component. This menu will be
different by component type, but each menu will contain the same basic features. Those features that are unique to
their component are listed/explained in the respective component’s help page. The following is a list of the basic
features:
Maximize - Auto sizes the component to cover the entire monitor. To minimize select the drop down menu again
and choose minimize. You may also double click on the component toolbar to maximize and minimize the
component.
Best Fit - Launchpad will automatically size the component to fit in the available space between other Launchpad
components. It will not recognize the borders of the traditional Bloomberg window.
Print, Upload, Copy - These commands will take the image of a component and print it, upload it to your
Bloomberg PFM (Personal File Manager), or place a copy of it on your Windows clipboard. The image can then be
pasted into other Windows applications.
Getting Started
Editing a View
Action Key cont’d
Refresh - The Refresh option will update all the data in the component without closing and re-launching the view.
Any data that is not real-time will be updated. Real-time data will automatically update without using the
“Refresh” command.
Always on Top - Will lock the component so it is always in the foreground (in front) of other windows
applications.
Lock Position on Desktop - Will lock the component in the current desktop location so it can not be moved to
other parts of the desktop. To move a locked component you will need to unlock it using the action key menu
before moving the component.
Changing Font Size - To change the font size select “Change Font Size” from the the drop down menu. The size
editor will launch within the window. Using the +/- keys you can increase or decrease the amount of information
viewable in the window. By hitting the + you will increase the amount of information and decrease the font size.
By hitting the – you will decrease the amount of information and increase the font size. To save the changes, click
on the dropdown menu again and select "Save font size".
The Launch Button
The Launch Button
Using the Launch button begin opening and positioning Launchpad components. Components can be moved around the
desktop using point and click navigation. Each component can also be resized by grabbing the border with the mouse.
Accessories:
International Clock
The international clock component allows you to display numerous times from various countries and cities around the
world. The component will display the time and name of the respective city.
Editing the Component
The properties tab of the clock component allows you to first choose the number of
clocks you wish to display. Depending on the number of clocks chosen, the appropriate
number of drop down menus will become visible after selecting Update. Using the drop
down menus, you can select the city of choice.
The Launch Button
Accessories cont’d:
Notes
After selecting Notes from the Accessories section under
the Launch button a box will appear where you can enter
text. This component can be used to enter in any personal
notes or a task list for example.
Editing the Component
Under the PROPERTIES tab you are able to change the font
size as well as the background and text color of your notes.
The Launch Button
Analytics/Charts:
Charts
Display real time historical, intraday and custom G graphs in
Launchpad with the Charts function under the Analytics/Charts
section of Launch. Drag and drop a security from a monitor to view a
new security in the same chart or add multiple charts and link them
together to easily evaluate a security on a technical basis.
Editing the Component
The Chart component can be changed by clicking on the
Properties tab. There you can edit the title of the chart, change
the security, graph type and number of days displayed.
Depending on the type of chart selected you will see additional
choices for editing. Note: if you would like to bring in one of
your custom charts you have created through the G<GO>
function make sure to set the Chart Type to “Technical
Analysis/Custom Chart”.
The Launch Button
Analytics/Charts cont’d:
Yield Analysis
The Yield Analysis component can be launched from the Analytics/Charts
section of the Launch button. This component will allow you to quickly
analyze a fixed income security based off its price and yield.
Editing the Component
To change the security simply drag and drop a security into the component
you can also quick re-price the security by changing the pricing source in
the amber box to the right of the security box in the title bar.
The Launch Button
Analytics/Charts cont’d:
Spread monitor
The Spread Monitor allows you to monitor the spread between two or three securities in real time to better track their
relationship so that you can get a better trade execution. Whether you are an equity pairs trader or sales person,
seeking to profit from potential arbitrage opportunities from market inefficiencies, track calendar spreads or
butterflies, the new spread monitor in Launchpad is your best way of doing this.
Editing the Component
Initially the component is blank but tab into the amber
boxes to enter the information important to you. Click
Update to view the spread in real time. You may enter
any securities that you wish to track spreads on in real
time and also enter currency overrides and the
precision in decimal places of the spread. The Spread
Monitor allows you to set a target spread, and when
your target is hit, the spread monitor will turn from
blue to red, alerting you of a trade opportunity
instantly. To set this alert tab into the amber box to the
lower right.
The Launch Button
Communication:
Incoming Messages
The component for your incoming messages can be access by clicking on the Communications tab under
launch. Open the incoming messages component in your view so that you stay abreast of communication
between colleagues and friends. Once you receive a message it will automatically show on your component
with the time received, senders name and the first line of the message. Simply click on the message to view
it in it’s entirety on a Bloomberg screen.
Editing the Component
The Incoming Messages component does
not have a Properties tab. All editing can be
done through the drop down arrow in the
top left hand corner. Once you left click on
the drop down arrow you can customize the
component further by changing the font size
for example.
The Launch Button
Communication:
Bloomberg Instant Message
Instant Bloomberg allows you to start and maintain an instant messaging conversation with a user or multiple users
provided they have Launchpad running. If you are not running Launchpad, you will not be able to send or receive
Instant messages. Once Launchpad is running the Instant Bloomberg component will be minimized on your taskbar.
You will see an additional RED icon titled “Bloomberg” or “IB”. Click on this to reveal you speed dial component.
The speed dialer is the centerpiece for instant Bloomberg to occur in Launchpad. The speed dial must be launched in
order to Instant Message.
Sending an Instant Message
Select 'NEW‘ to open a blank Instant Message conversation and initiate chat with
someone not in your Speed Dial.Use 'ACTIONS‘ to further interact with the Speed
Dial. Add a new user in SPDL<GO>and use the REFRESH button in the top left of
the component to update your buddy list. Entries from SPDL<GO>will
appear,along with the Presence Detection lights.If a user is "online"(running
Launchpad)a green ball appears next to their name.They will appear at the top of
your list.If a user is "off line"(not running Launchpad)they will have a red ball next
to their name.Online users will appear at the top of the list.Presence Detection is
immediate:As contacts in your Speed Dial list open and close Launchpad,their
STATUS lights will change accordingly.
The Launch Button
Communication:
Bloomberg Instant Message cont’d
Sending an Instant Message cont’d
On your speed dial, left click on the user name and select “Instant Message” from the drop
down menu. A message will pop up with that person’s picture and name. When you are the
recipient of a new Instant Bloomberg, a toast pop up message will appear on your Screen along
with an audible alert. Having the toast pop up and audible alert messages are optional. These
can be set in the properties tab of the speed dial component. From the toast pop up you can
click to “view” which will open the the chat window or “ignore” which will close the toast pop
up. If “ignore is selected the sender will receive a message saying: ”(user name) is busy right
now and can’t chat.”
Group Chatting in Instant Message
By dragging and dropping a user name from the buddy list into an open
conversation window, multiple users can enter a chat hence making a group
chat.
The Launch Button
Communication:
Bloomberg Instant Message cont’d
Instant Message cont’d
Type all text in the large amber are at the bottom. Once you enter in text and
press <GO> the text will appear with a time stamp and your name.
Tips and Tricks
The red buttons off quick options in enhancing your chat.
Hyperlink- Click on the red Hyperlink button to offer a link in your chat
to a security, function or web address. If a Security is selected, in the text
of the chat you will see the security’s ticker, and current price and change.
You can left click on the security in the text are to link to addition function
on the system for further analysis.
Images- By clicking on Images you can insert numerous types smiley
faces into your conversation.
Transcript- Quickly print out a transcript of your conversation by clicking
on the red Transcript button and select “Yes”.
The Launch Button
Company Information:
Company Website
The company website component enables you to access key
descriptive, fundamental and topical information about a
company. This is the equivalent to the CWP<GO> function.
Please note, if the company’s home page is restricted (e.g.
due to objectionable content), the company’s investor
relations web page appears.
Editing the Component
By clicking on the PROPERTIES tab you are able to change
the company web page by entering a different equity ticker
and selecting UPDATE.
The Launch Button
Company Information:
Custom Equity Display
The Custom Equity Display enables you display 10 columns of data of
your choice for a particular equity. There are over 6,500 fields to choose
from including descriptive, pricing, fundamental ratio and earnings data
enabling you to monitor a broad range of data on the company of your
choice. This is a unique feature of Launchpad!
Editing the Component
Clicking on the PROPERTIES tab enables you to select both the
columns you wish to display and the equity you are interested in. For
more information on editing columns please see the section labeled
MONITORS.
The Launch Button
Company Information:
Dividends, Earnings and Price Ratios
Dividends: The dividends component gives you key descriptive and
analytical data concerning a company’s dividend profile. This
component enables you to more effectively evaluate the performance
of a security and therefore make the best trading decision.
Earnings: Enables you to compare actual and estimated earnings
data to better understand the fundamental strength of a company
Price Ratio: Lists the salient financial ratios of a company
enabling you to gain a quick insight into the true value of a
company
Editing the Component
By selecting PROPERTIES on any of the above components you
are able to enter he equity ticker of the company of your choice.
The Launch Button
Company Information:
News Panel
The news panel displays and monitors news stories,
research reports and multimedia presentations for a
selected company, monitor list and/or subject. This
powerful component enables you to keep abreast of
the market moving news that is most important to
you, offering unique solutions that ensure you do
not miss breaking news. You are able to have up to
15 news panel in a view.
Editing the Component
Under PROPERTIES and SETTINGS you have the
following options:
1)
Ability to select what type of news you want a)
news for a single security b) all news headlines
coming through the Bloomberg terminal
(NH<GO>) c) news for a custom panel you have
created in PANL<GO> d) news for a Launchpad
securities monitor.
2)
Which Bloomberg screen you wish the news
story to be displayed
3)
Automatic sizing of the headline text to fit the
news panel size
The Launch Button
Company Information:
News Panel cont’d
Editing the Component
Under PROPERTIES and COLORS you are able
to specify the color of headlines coming through
your news panel, highlighting those headlines
that match a keyword you specify. You are also
able to customize the colors of important news
headlines, ensuring you will not any breaking
market moving news.
Using the custom colours I am able to
monitor all the news that is relevant to me,
highlighting specific topic-related
headlines as well as all breaking news
headlines, keeping me in-tune with what is
moving the markets.
The Launch Button
Company Information:
Relative Value
The relative value component enables you to compare a
company against its industry peers on both technical and
fundamental data of your choice. The component
displays the company you have selected along with the
largest seven market capped peers whose operations are
based in the same country. You are able to use the
relative value component to find which securities offer
the bst relative value based on your criteria.
Editing the Component
Through the PROPERTIES tab you are able to:
1)
Change the security you are looking to analyze
2)
Select which geographic region the peer companies are based in.
3)
Change the data fields in your display. Please note that the first
three columns are set and cannot be changed.
The Launch Button
Company Information:
Relative Index
The relative index component displays real time pricing and return data for a stock’s industry group
index, enabling you to evaluate the security’s relative value and determine if it is outperforming its
sector.
1) Industry sector index ticker
1) Last Price
2) Net change on day
2) % change on day
3) Net change year to date
3) % change year to date
4) 12 month net change
4) 12 month % change
Editing the Component
By selecting PROPERTIES on any of the above components you
are able to enter he equity ticker of the company of your choice.
The Launch Button
Global Markets:
Economic Calendars
Use the ECONOMIC CALENDAR to monitor both current and expected economic, earnings, government, central bank
and industry-specific releases from around the world to stay abreast of market and financial activity on a national,
regional or global scale. A combination of the BLOOMBERG NEWS® Survey and the historical database of economic
statistics helps to keep you aware of what is happening with the economy and allows you to make more informed
investment decisions. The ECONOMIC CALENDAR component also enables you to display your own CECO<GO>
customized calendar of upcoming releases, enabling you to focus on events which are most important to you and your
markets.
All releases coming out today are displayed
in white with all future releases in yellow
You are able to left click on a specific
indicator to access a drop down menu of
analytical functions that help explain the
meaning behind the numbers.
The Launch Button
Global Markets:
Economic Calendars cont’d
Editing the Component
Through the PROPERTIES tab you are
able to:
1) Change the country you are looking
at first by selecting the appropriate
region and then the country
2) Select release type you are
interested in
3) Choose the pull in your custom
calendar
4) Create/edit your custom calendar
set-up
5) Go back in history to see releases
from last week
The Launch Button
Global Markets:
Global Market Summaries
Use the GLOBAL MARKET SEUMMARIES component to monitor all major benchmark rates for a selected country.
Using this component you are able to gain a comprehensive picture of the current interest rate outlook of a country so
you can react quickly to changing market conditions. This component relates to the BTMM<GO> function.
The Launch Button
Global Markets:
Global Market Summaries cont’d
Editing the Component
1)
If you are interested in the long end of the
curve the GLOBAL MARKETS
SUMMARY component also enables you
to monitor swap and swaption rates along
side key equity, bond and currency
benchmark rates. Simply change the
PRODUCT TYPE field to SWAPS.
2)
Change your country of focus by selecting
the appropriate REGION followed by the
COUNTRY
3)
You are able to auto-size your GLOBAL
MARKETS SUMMARY component by
selecting on of our pre-set SIZE options
NOTE: The SWAPS screens found under PRODUCT
TYPE relate to the USSW<GO> screens and is
available for United States, Mexico, Brazil , United
Kingdom and the Euro Bloc region.
The Launch Button
Global Markets:
New Issue Monitor
Use the NEW ISSUE MONITOR to view new bond offerings in the fixed income markets. This component provides
detail on all the day’s news issues so you are able to compare yields across the new issue market. You are able to create
custom searches that monitor
offerings according to criteria sets
that you define, enabling you to
focus that are most important to
you. Use the page arrows to see
historical new issues.
The NEW ISSUE MONITOR also
enables you to access further
analytical functions through a
drop down menu that is accessible
through the left click of the
mouse.
EC830958
DES – Description
YA – Yield Analysis
YAS – Yld/Sprd Analysis
CPRP – Credit Profile
ISSD – Issuer Info
DDIS – Debt Distribution
The Launch Button
Global Markets:
New Issue Monitor
Editing the Component
1)
Select one of
Bloomberg’s 16
standard search
templates.
2)
Define up to 10
custom searches
(select EDIT to
define/update your
custom searches).
3) Specify on which Bloomberg screen you wish to run your chosen Bloomberg function accessed through the
left click drop-down menu
The Launch Button
Market Depth:
Market Depth for NASDAQ securities
The market depth component displays the real-time best bid and best offer activity for selected NASDAQ securities. Use
the market depth component to quickly identify the best levels of execution. NOTE: this component is only available to
users who subscribe to real-time data provided by the associated exchange.
Editing the Component
The market depth component has 3 red buttons to alter the display of the information. “By Quote” will display streaming
best bid/offer quotes by their respective market maker. “By Broker” will show the complete list of market makers and
their levels. “By Price” will simply show up to the best 5 bids and offers including volume. By clicking on the properties
tab you can display levels by color and market maker summary.
The Launch Button
Market Depth:
Market Depth for NYSE securities
The market depth component for New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) listed equities, the market depth displays the NYSE
OpenBook which provides aggregate limit-order volume information for all NYSE bids and offers. You can use the
NYSE OpenBook to evaluate the interest outside the displayed NYSE quote. NOTE: this component is only available to
users who subscribe to real-time data provided by the associated exchange.
Editing the Component
To edit click on the Properties tab, this will allow you to change your security. There are no other defaults under this
tab. The action key offers additional links to functions such as BBO, MQ, CQ and BBOC to further evaluate the
security on a Bloomberg screen. You can also click on the grey buttons (<,>) to scroll between multiple pages if
applicable.
The Launch Button
Market Depth:
Market Depth for LSE securities
The market depth component can also be used for selected European securities such as those traded on the London Stock
Exchange. With this information you gain greater depth into the market place and can accurately gauge liquidity in a
particular stock.
Editing the Component
To edit click on the Properties tab, this will allow you to change your security and your bid/ask display. Also, you
can choose the number of brokers to display on the yellow strip. The action key offers additional links to functions
such as BBO, MQ, CQ and BBOC to further evaluate the security on a Bloomberg screen.
The Launch Button
Market Depth:
FX Depth of Market
Use the FX Market Depth to monitor contributor bid and ask currency rates.The component will scroll with
new bid and ask quotes as they come in. It will display the time of the posting and the contributor code
along with the respective best bid ask level. The high and low rates for the day appear in the yellow bar at
the top along with the currency ticker.
Editing the Component
Once you open the component you can change the
security by going into the amber box at the top or
click on the properties tab. You can enter a currency
pair (six characters) or a single currency (three
characters). The cross-currency rates appear in
market convention. The action key will also link
you to the LSTQ function on Bloomberg.
The Launch Button
Media/News:
Bloomberg TV/Radio
Keep on top of what is moving the markets by
watching Bloomberg T.V. or listening to
Bloomberg radio through your Launchpad
desktop. You are able to choose from 7
channels, including French, German, Italian or
Japanese. Clips of specific programs/interviews
from the various channels are also available
through the ON DEMAND CLIPS option.
Editing the Component
Through the PROPERTIES tab you are able to
select which channel, radio and clips you wish
to watch or listen to.
The Launch Button
Monitor:
By selecting LAUNCH and then MONITOR you are able to access a list of all the security monitors you have created
under your login (Fig 1). From this screen you are able to perform a number of different tasks:
To Open Existing Monitors:
Launchpad enables you to display a
monitor in more than 1 view. Simply click
into the fields to the left of the monitor
name and then select OPEN.
To Delete Existing Monitors:
As above but select DELETE in place of
OPEN.
To Create a New Monitor:
To create a new monitor simply click on
CREATE NEW
Fig 1
The Launch Button
Monitor:
Creating a New Monitor: Entering Securities
To enter a custom list of securities simply click into the blank
yellow field and enter the ticker of your first security, hit the
down arrow on your keyboard to enter your second ticker. Once
you have entered your final security hit <GO>. NOTE: when
entering securities please use the appropriate yellow market
sector key, e.g. IBM US <equity>.
Adding Securities
If at a later stage you would like to add further securities to your monitor simply double click on your final security to
highlight the cell then hit the down arrow (and enter your ticker.
Drag & Drop
You can update a list of securities in a monitor by dragging and dropping from a list on Bloomberg or Excel. Grab the list
of securities you wish to move into the monitor and drag it over the top of the monitor. When you release the mouse the
securities will appear in the monitor. If securities already exist in the monitor you will see the following pop-up box from
which you can select your preferred option:
Use this icon to drag and drop
tickers from a Bloomberg screen
into your Launchpad monitor
The Launch Button
Monitor:
Creating a New Monitor: Entering Securities cont’d
Under PROPERTIES and then SECURITIES
you are able to import securities from another
source.
Import Securities From
Launchpad enables you to import securities from a
number of sources; one of your NWs, an existing
Launchpad monitor, an equity index, a portfolio and
from LIST<GO>.
When you have selected your desired source to copy
securities from you are able to:
Securities Display Type
Display Securities on
Choose how the securities will Use this field to create
multiple security sheets for
be displayed. You can decide
your monitor.
between security name, ticker,
custom abbreviation, CUSIP or
NOTE: Monitors have
ISIN number.
Link securities to another source such as a portfolio so
change in the original source are mirrored automatically in
your monitor
Add securities to existing securities in your monitor
Replace all current securities in your monitor with the new
sourced securities
a 500 security limit
The Launch Button
Monitor:
Creating a New Monitor: Sorting Securities
Launchpad allows you to sort the securities in your monitor by the column of your choice, enabling you easily identify the
best and worst performing securities based on your chosen criteria.
To sort by a specific column simply
left click on your mouse on the
column header of the data column
you wish to sort by and hold down
to reveal the following drop down
menu:
SORT OPTIONS
Absolute Value Descending
Actual Descending
Absolute Value Ascending
Actual Ascending
Alphabetic Ascending
Alphabetic Descending
No Sort
Highlight your preferred sort option
and let go of the mouse key.
The Launch Button
Monitor:
Creating a New Monitor: Text Spacers and Labels
In your pricing monitors you are able to to add empty rows and section headers. If you would like to add an empty row
simply enter a ‘*’ in place of a company ticker in the security box when adding securities. This will designate the row
as a blank line within the monitor. You are able to come back later and enter a security ticker in this row.
Using the above logic you are also able to segment your monitor
with different section headers.
In the row you want the the header
to appear click once on the security and
select INSERT SECURITY from the menu.
In the security box enter a ‘*’ followed by the
text you want to display. The ‘*’ signifies you are
not adding a security ticker and to save the text you
are entering. For example, to enter the label Indices, type
‘*INDICES’ in the security field and then hit <GO> to save it.
The Launch Button
Monitor:
Properties: Settings
The securities MONITOR is the cornerstone of the Launchpad application and as such has a unique set of customizable
options accessible from the PROPERTIES tab. The PROPERTIES tab will allow you to set your display default settings,
columns, colors and securities within your monitor.
1)
Delete the monitor from your login.
2)
Name your security monitor.
3)
Choose to display the previous day’s closing
prices prior to the opening.
4)
Display yields to 3 decimal places.
5)
Alerts for corporate action related activity:
s=split, y=yesterday, x=ex-dividend,
d=delayed
6)
Enable an audible alarm to sound when a new
news story comes through the Bloomberg.
7)
This feature is currently under test and will be
released later in the year, enabling Tradebook
users to automatically generate trade tickets
through BMQ<GO> function.
See Next Page
The Launch Button
Monitor:
Properties: Settings cont’d
Segmented Sort
Segmented sort enables you to sort each of your security
segments in your monitor independently of one another. For
example in the monitor below having segmented sort
checked I am able to sort the NORTH AMERICA EUROPE
and ASIA PACIFIC sections independently of one another.
See section CREATING A NEW MONITOR: TEXT
SPACERS AND LABELS to insert section headers
The Launch Button
Monitor:
Properties: Settings cont’d
The Drop Down Function Menu
Even though by using Launchpad you are taking Bloomberg data outside of the
Bloomberg environment and putting it on your desktop, there still remains a
link between your customised desktop and Bloomberg analytics.
In PROPERTIES and SETTINGS you are able to specific a list of your most
used functions that you can run at the click of the button for any of the
securities in your monitor, allowing you to access the data you need to fast.
VOD LN
Edit Security
Insert Security
Delete Security
DES – Description
ANR – Analyst Recommendations
ICN – Important News/Research
COMP – Comparative Total Returns (D)
RV – Relative Value (WE)
EE – Earnings Estimates (I)
BQ – BLOOMBERG Quote
FA – Financial Analysis
Select
To access your drop down
menu simply left click on
the security you wish to
analyse hold down the
mouse key and highlight
the particular function.
The Launch Button
Monitor:
Properties: Columns
To edit your columns simply select PROPERTIES and
then COLUMNS.
You are able to choose from over 6,500 available data
columns that exist for descriptive, analytical, real
time, fundamental, technical and historical data.
Step 1. Click into the field labelled SEARCH, enter a
key word. From the resultant findings select your
preferred field.
NOTE: RQ fields are real time fields and PR fields
are not
Step 2. To edit the column heading simply click on
the field on the right hand side to reveal the following
drop down menu:
Add the same column
Delete a column
Change title of the column
Sales/Revenue/Turnover
Make a Copy
Delete
Override Title
Override Year & Period
This option will appear for fundamental data fields and allows you
to override your fundamental year and period to view historical data
The Launch Button
Monitor:
Properties: Colors
News in the last
24 hours
News that has
come through
while you have
had BLP open
Highlight news
with a box instead
of the two above
colour fields
These fields relate to the
real time fields in your
monitor such as LAST
PRICE, BID, ASK,
CHANGE ON DAY and
PERCENT CHANGE ON
DAY
Highlight prices when a
tick occurs
The Launch Button
Pricing/ Quotes:
Contributor Pages
Launch your favorite contributor pages in Launchpad so that you can view research, news, commentary, and pricing in
your Launchpad view. You can click on the gray arrows in order to page back and forth.
The Launch Button
Pricing/ Quotes:
Contributor Pages
Editing the Component
Once you launch the contributor page you will be faced
with the following screen. To obtain the Launchpad ID
number to place in the amber field, call up the contributor
page on the BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL® using
CTRB <GO> to find the relevant mnemonic. Once you
have called up the relevant contributor page, you need to
hit the <TAB> key in order to obtain the ID number. If the
first four letters are GDCO this usually indicates that you
can launch this contributor page in your view. Simply type
in the GDCO number of the page followed by a space and
then the MON number.
The other option is to click on the CONTRIBUTOR PAGE
SEARCH option and enter the mnemonic of the contributor
page here and search for it using the criteria provided.
The Launch Button
Pricing/ Quotes:
Fixed Income Quotes
Use FIXED INCOME QUOTES to monitor and display current market information for a selected fixed income security
by pricing source. This component provides a liquidity platform by displaying a quick overview of the firms that are
pricing a selected security so you can locate the best market price. The green flashes constantly highlights the best bid
and offer. This monitor refreshes pricing automatically with the time or date of the last pricing update. You can click on
any of the column headings in the monitor and choose to Sort Ascending or Descending.
The Launch Button
Pricing/ Quotes:
Fixed Income Quotes
Editing the Component
1) Once you open the component you can change the security by entering the ticker in
the amber field and then click on UPDATE. In addition you can drag and drop a bond
from your monitor into the All Quotes to change the security too.
2) This indicates the screen number that your BBT/ SPEX tickets will appear on your
BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL®
3) You can also choose if you want to view Bid and Ask Size on your monitor.
The Launch Button
Pricing/ Quotes:
Japan Market: Ayumi
Use the AYUMI to monitor price ticks and
volume for Japanese stocks. This is
displayed in chronological order with the
most recent trade first and the exchange
code is displayed in the fourth column.
Editing the Component
You can go to PROPERTIES and insert
the relevant security in the amber field
and click on UPDATE and then you can
drag and drop Japanese stocks from your
security monitor into the AYUMI
monitor.
The Launch Button
Pricing/ Quotes:
Japan Market: AM-PM
You can use the AM-PM monitor for
Japanese stocks to view key data for the
two sessions in the Japanese stock market.
Editing the Component
You can go into PROPERTIES in order to
enter a Japanese stock ticker or simply drag
and drop a Japanese stock from a monitor into
the AM/PM monitor to view the same data for
a different stock.
The Launch Button
Pricing/ Quotes:
Japan Market: AM-PM
Launch the MARGIN monitor to provide insight
as to what direction an individual stock or the
general market is heading by measuring the ratio
of shares bought on margin versus shares sold on
margin.
Editing the Component
Once you have launched the MARGIN component
you can go to PROPERTIES and change the
security by entering another ticker in the amber
field.
You can also view the margin monitor for 3
different exchanges: Tokyo Stock Exchange,
JASDAQ or Nisshokin.
The Launch Button
Pricing/ Quotes:
Option Block Trades
Use the OPTION BLOCK TRADES monitor to
display option block trades for a selected exchange on
a specific date. This will help you gauge which
direction traders are expecting the market to head.
Editing the Component
Once you have launched the OPTION BLOCK
TRADES monitor in your view you can go to
PROPERTIES and select the exchange you require,
you can choose to view EQUITY OPTIONS ONLY,
INDEX OPTIONS ONLY or both. You can also
specify the size of the contracts that you want to view
in your monitor.
The Launch Button
Pricing/ Quotes:
Quote
Use the QUOTE monitor to display current market information
for a selected security. For further information you can then click
on any of the data fields available in the QUOTE monitor and
you will see a drop-down menu appear with a choice of functions
that you can view on the BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL®.
Editing the Component
Under PROPERTIES you can change the security you want to
monitor. Below this there are a number of functions listed and
these are the functions that appear in your drop down menu
when you click on one of the data fields in your monitor. You
can change these functions by using the function MPDF <GO>
on the BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL®.
The Launch Button
Pricing/ Quotes:
Quote Line
You can use the QUOTE LINE component to display current
market information for a selected security allowing you to get a
quick snapshot of a security's current activity. As with the
quote monitor, you can click on any of the data fields in the
QUOTE LINE to obtain a drop-down menu of functions you
can use as links to the main BLOOMBERG
PROFESSIONAL® screens in order to carry out further
analysis.
Editing the Component
Under PROPERTIES you can change the security you want to
monitor. Below this there are a number of functions listed and
these are the functions that appear in your drop down menu
when you click on one of the data fields in your monitor. You
can change these functions by using the function MPDF <GO>
on the BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL®.
The Launch Button
Pricing/ Quotes:
Quote Recap
Use the QUOTE RECAP to monitor all price ticks for a selected exchange listed security in chronological order with the
most recent trade first. The ticks are the price levels at which each trade is executed. You can view the time, size, price,
exchange code and the condition code of the security.
There is also a history toolbar at the top of the monitor which means you can view up to 42 pages of historical data.
The Launch Button
Pricing/ Quotes:
Quote Recap
Editing the Component
Under PROPERTIES you can insert the relevant security in the amber field and then specify whether you would like to
view the Trade Recap - QR <GO> function in Launchpad or the QRM function - the Market. Trade Recap function in the
monitor.
To see historical trades
simply check the option
labelled VIEW HISTORY
TOOLBAR
The Launch Button
Pricing/ Quotes:
Sliding Ticker
Launch a sliding Ticker that scrolls from right to left, monitoring the stocks you specify.
Editing the Component
Under PROPERTIES you can either choose to
view the securities in the sliding ticker from one
of your Launchpad monitors or from a custom
sliding ticker that you can set up under STC
<GO>. You can display the sliding ticker as
Smooth Scrolling or Drop Down Scrolling. You
can also decide whether you want to exclude Nonequities or Indices from the display.
You can specify the Minimum Volume you want
to view in your sliding ticker too.
Spreadsheet Mode
What is Spreadsheet Mode?
Spreadsheet mode enables you to convert your security monitors into a spreadsheet-type format allowing you to further
customise and manipulate the pricing, fundamental or technical data feeding into your sheet. Through spreadsheet mode
Launchpad integrates the ability to enter a broad range of formulas with the customisation of colours and data and
Bloomberg’s powerful analytics.
How does it work?
Step 1. First you need to create a monitor consisting of the securities and data fields that you wish to monitor. See pages
41 to 50 for instructions on how to create a monitor.
Step 2. SPREADSHEET MODE is accessible through
the right click of the mouse button. The first action
would be to insert custom columns to insert customised
expressions, formulas or data.
To add more columns right click on the existing column
header to access the following drop-down menu:
VOL
Clicking on INSERT
Insert Column to right
COLUMN TO RIGHT will
Delete Column
add a blank column to the
Copy
right of the monitor. You can
also add a blank column if you choose COLUMNS in the PROPERTIES tab
and search on CUSTOM, select the field labeled CUSTOM / BLANK. You are
also able to override the titles of these columns as states in page 49.
Spreadsheet Mode
Time to enter SPREADSHEET MODE!
Step 3. To enter calculations or customize the data fields you should right click on the specific cell and select
SPREADSHEET INFO:
BP/ LN
Insert Row
Delete Row
Spreadsheet Info
Copy
1)
A spreadsheet expression pop up box appears to
enter formulae/change characteristics of cell:
2)
When you select
SPREADSHEET
INFO two things
happen:
A coordinate grid will appear so individual cells are now
defined in the monitor.
Spreadsheet Mode
The Expression Box:
The Expression box allows you to enter formulae based on other cells of information and also change the attributes of
that cell. It consists of several drop-down options:
Functions
Layout
To specify specific excel type
Allows you to justify cell
formulas to be applied in the
information left, right or centre.
selected cell (not all available
formulas are listed).
Format
Changes the decimal place
precision or enables you to
display a number as a fraction or
integer.
Foreground / Background
Enables you to format the cell and text colour.
For example, in cell F2 I would like to calculate
a real time RSI indicator to set-up a trading
signal. I need this to stand out so I am also
going to change the text and cell colour and I
would like the value to 2 decimal places. My
expression box should look like:
Use this option to display the
value as a percent.
Replace 1000s with 1K.
Use commas to when numbers
are in 1,000s.
NOTE: YOU
WRITE THE
FORMULAS
USING THE SAME
SYNTAX AS IN
EXCEL
Spreadsheet Mode
The Drop Down Menu:
It is not necessary to hand enter the same formula in all cells in a particular column. As in Excel it is possible to copy
formulas down to other cells in the same column. To copy a formula to other cells right click on the cell with the formula
and select FILL RANGE. This will paste the formula to the cells in the column and paste all the cell attributes such as
decimal place precision and colours as well.
It is also possible to copy a formula from one cell to another by simply right clicking with the mouse and selecting COPY
SPREADSHEET INFO, clicking on the cell where you want the formula and then right clicking again to select PASTE
SPREADSHEET INFO.
When you do right click on a spreadsheet mode cell the following drop down menu appears:
1)
The current formula in the cell so you
can quickly see the cell’s calculation.
2)
To insert an additional row for
calculations such as =SUM or
=AVERAGE.
3)
To delete a particular row.
4)
To clear all of your spreadsheet mode
work in ALL the cells in your monitor.
5)
To go into spreadsheet mode.
BP/ LN
=(B2-D2)/(…
Insert Row
Delete Row
Clear Spreadsheet Mode
Spreadsheet Info
Copy Spreadsheet Info
Paste Spreadsheet Info
Clear Spreadsheet Info
Fill Down
6)
To copy both the spreadsheet mode
formula and attributes from one cell
to another.
7)
To paste spreadsheet mode formulas
and attributes from one cell to
another.
8)
To clear spreadsheet mode work from
ONE particular.
9)
To copy a formula and attributes
from one cell to the rest of the
column.
Spreadsheet Mode
What formulas can be used?
The following list of formulae can be used in Launchpad spreadsheet mode:
Basic Formulae
Example
What it Does
Value Displayed
=SUM(range)
=sum(D2:D6)
Adds together the cells in the range
4250
=ABS(value)
=ABS(H5) or =ABS(number)
Takes the absolute number i.e. does not display
the –/+
29025 (but if number was –1, 1 would be
displayed)
=INT(value)
=INT(B7) or
=INT(29.23)
Displays only the integer (number) value
removing the decimal points.
29
=ROUND(value)
=ROUND(B4) or ROUND(14.99)
Similar to =INT() but round the number up or
down
15
=MAX(value1, value2)
=MAX(H2,H3)
Displays the larger value between the 2 cells
H3 has the largest value so 5625 will be
displayed
=MIN(value1,
value2)
=MIN(H4,H5)
Displays the smallest value between 2 cells
-29025
=FRAC(value)
=FRAC(E2)
Displays decimals as fractions
24 1/2
=SIGNED(value)
=SIGNED(H2)
Displays + or – sign to signify price move up or
down
+590
=AVERAGE(range)
=AVERAGE(D2:D5)
Displays average value for range
1000
=STDEV(range)
=STDEV(E2:E6)
Calculates Standard Deviation
58.065507
=STDEVP(range)
=STDEVP(D2:D6)
Calculates population of Standard Deviation of
range
51.935368
=MID(value1,
value2)
=MID(D3,D6)
Calculates the mid value between two other
values
500(equal to (D3 + D6)/2)
Spreadsheet Mode
What formulas can be used? Cont’d
Value Displayed
More Complex Formulae
Example
What it Does
=WTSUM(range)
=WTSUM(D2:E4)
Works out the total value of the price
multiplied by the position for all cells in
range
Calculation is equal to
(500*24.50)+(750*119)+
(1250*11.11)= 115387.50000
=WTAVG(range)
=WTAVG(D2:E4)
Same as the calculation above but
divides result by number of columns
115387.50000/ 3 = 38462.5
Extensions
If a new security is inserted into the middle of a list of securities the corresponding spreadsheet values and formulas will
move with the security they were formerly associated with. This is useful if you wish to add securities in between
existing securities. But what if you wanted to add a security at the bottom of your list and have the corresponding sum
formula update automatically?
For example imagine that you wanted to sum the values from C6:C10 you could use the formula =sum(C6:C10). But if
you added a new security lets say in row 11 you would have to manually change the formula to =sum(C6:C11). It is
possible to change the formula so that it automatically sums all values in the column from C6 downwards. This is
=SUM(C6:C?)
This means “do a sum of all the cells in column C starting at C6 and extend to the bottom of the column”. This is
particular useful when you have a list of securities which are linked to a list or portfolio.
Spreadsheet Mode
What Spreadsheet Mode can do for you:
Using spreadsheet I am able to turn an ordinary monitor such:
Into a much more customised monitor that enables me to calculate technical indicator levels that I am then able to use to
give me trading signals:
The TOOLS Button
Group Manager
The group manager allows you to group a series of “components” together so that if the security changes on one
component the other grouped components will follow suit. The security can be changed by either typing a new security
into one of the components or dragging and dropping from the monitor sheet. This provides the opportunity to run more
detailed analysis on one security using multiple components.
Step 1. To create a group, select the "Group Manager" from the Tools button.
Step 2. Select the components you want in a group and than click on the "Save" button. When complete click “Done”.
The TOOLS Button
Creating Favorites
The Favorites manager allows you to create short cuts to your most popular Bloomberg functions. These short cuts will
appear under the Launch menu, and give you quick access to these functions in the standard Bloomberg window.
Step1. From the Tools button select the "Favorites" option.
Step 2. Select an existing Favorite and hit the "Edit" button, or hit "Add New“ to create a new favorite.
Step 3. Enter a label for your favorite.
Step 4. Select which Bloomberg panel the commands will run on.
Step 5. Type your Bloomberg commands in the "Bloomberg Keys" box, or select from existing Bloomberg customized
buttons.
Step 6. Save or Test the favorite. The "Test" button will run the Bloomberg keys on the Bloomberg to make sure the
string of commands executes the desired function. When complete click “Done”.
TOOLS and the REVEAL Button
Sample Views
Click on Tools and select Sample Views to get an extensive list of pre-existing
views that have been created by Bloomberg.There you can choose from the
drop down menu the number of screen displays from 1 to 4. Also, the various
views are separated by Region and also Market sector. Click on the drop down
menus to scroll and and then select your desired view. Note: Once a sample
view has been selected it will highlight in orange and then click OK. You will
be prompted to save and changes to a currently open view. Once the sample
view has loaded you will be asked to save the view in order to view it.
Reveal
The Reveal button will bring all Launchpad components to the forefront of your desktop. Any components that are
obstructed by other windows application will be moved on top of those active applications.