High Profitability (Boomberg TV)

Member Name: Modena

Product:	Boomberg TV
Date:	08/04/01 (242 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: UK focus, good presenters, international presence, information

Disadvantages: The dress sense of some of the analysts during the weekend

Digital TV viewers have a vast range of choice when it comes to news, the same is the case for financial news, Bloomberg is a market maker!

In case you don’t know who Bloomberg are, Bloomberg is an international media organisation specializing in all things financial or business related. I shall be looking at their television channel in the UK. For Sky Digital viewers it’s channel 504 on your digibox. This channel is probably not free to air, but you will have this if you have a half decent package.

At first sight, Bloomberg would seem to be an America focused TV channel, with American priorities and American values, that it far from the truth, if you are in any way interested in current and controversial issues relating the British economy, the European economy, the U.S. and the rest of the world, I am sure you will be fascinated after a little peek at what Bloomberg has to offer. Don’t let the unnecessary sound effects and the odd eccentrically dressed presenter put you off!

++ ----- The trading screen ----- ++
One thing that strikes you straight away is the screen, it is split into 4 parts, Imagine the top left section of the screen, starting there, take up ¾ of the screen, that is where you view the television show. Then the rest of the northeast corner is where there are graphs, the remaining bottom of the screen is split horizontally between the stock exchange prices and the news ticker. Let’s work clockwise from the top left hand quadrant.

<Market Focus>
The quality of the programme is very good, with some very polished presenters and distinguished guests. No messing about here during the day, a little more casual at the weekends and evenings. There is the odd advertisement here and there, but nothing to be annoyed about. You don’t miss out on much, view Professor Greenspan’s latest speech, watch the Treasury Select Committee get grilled!

<Yield Curves >
The gr
aphs are great, lots of 1 day, 7 day and 30 day etc data on commodities, currency prices, stock exchange levels, stock market movements, company data etc… truly remarkable. There is even enough room for the time and date. Examples would include the price of Brent Crude (Oil), sugar, $/€ movements (watch the axes), the FTSE (100, etc), the TECH Mark, NASDAQ, and the irrelevant US$/UAE Dirham (which is fixed, doh!).

<Stockmarkets>
The ticker below the main screen and the graphs shows the level of major stock markets, and live asset prices (worldwide), it moves at a very fast pace, but is logically classified.

<Breaking News>
At the bottom of the screen is a ticker on the latest news, ranging to sports news to the latest decision by the Federal Reserve on U.S. Interest rates. Also things like interest rates on kids accounts are also shown.

++ ----- Profitability? ----- ++
The content Bloomberg offers is exceptional, in my opinion, it leaves no stone unturned and every effort is made so that the viewer is informed as much as possible.

<Securities>
The presenters are excellent, cool, calm and knowledgeable, the camera is passed around often and each presenter is well prepared and fully equipped with data. Sometimes we are passed to the American presenters about the latest happenings on Wall Street, and also presenters in Asia. I could go for a few more paragraphs, but I think you get the message.

<Inside Track>
The thing that impresses me about Bloomberg is the vast array of people they invite on, lots of analysts from different investment banks, from Barclays Capital to Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, who clearly know what they are talking about, some more arrogant than others, but I can forgive that. Everything is discussed, from the prospects of the NASDAQ recovering, or the undervalued Euro, to UK Interest rates and productivity prospects. The analysis is really good, don’t t
ake my word for it.

<Foreign Exchange>
As I said two paragraphs ago, the viewer is tossed from the presenter of one country to another, you really gain a lot of concise and accurate insight. Some of the adverts show that Bloomberg pride themselves in their internationalness and they deserve a lot of commendation in the array of foreign presenters presenting. Some are so good and appear so often, they are no longer foreign at all.

<Tax Credit>
Bloomberg is not all money markets, mergers and acquisitions etc. It is also for you! There is a chance to find out what bank account is right for you, what to do with your taxation situation, information for employers and generally how to manage your assets. If you have time and are bored, watch it, you might save or make some money.

<Hedging>
Sometimes, before big sporting events (particularly during the weekend) there is comprehensive “spread-betting” analysis, particularly with good value football spread bets. I am not an expert but I don’t like this section, I don’t like the analysts thinking and spread betting, though is a fast way to make money, it is also a fast way to lose money, because if you lose, the amount you lose is uncertain.

<Business Cycles>
Like most Satellite programmes, there are repeated features, mainly during the weekend. So sometimes it is annoying seeing the same cheery analyst yellow tank top twice in a day!!!!

++ ----- Monopoly ----- ++
I’m a strong advocate of letting people know about rivals in reviews/opinions. Well the best terrestrial rival is that “Working lunch” programme on lunchtimes on BBC2 for half an hour. The other obvious rival is the FT, with similar data and analysis, though not the Economist. Sky Digital has two other “money channels”, the “money channel” and “simply money” both are similar and not as good, they don’t have
the polished and smart presenters and focus on the points mentioned at the <Tax Credit> part of this opinion. Of course I have deliberately missed out CNBC, this is just as good (sports channel in the weekend almost though), it has better colours, but is more orientated to the US, especially at night.

++ ----- The Trading Day ----- ++
Like the end of Bloomberg’s day, where they summarise the day that was, I shall conclude my thoughts. When you watch Bloomberg, you get a feeling you are part of a financial market, the stacks full of information and the pace of the ticker gives a certain feeling of pressure, but you are just sitting in your living room, learning, knowing the latest information, nearly on a level playing field with an analyst at an investment bank who earns twice as much as you.

Summary: