Bloomberg Terminal technology provides PNW students cutting-edge financial insights

Platform offers real-world investment knowledge, credential opportunities

Students in the Purdue University Northwest (PNW) College of Business can now gain an enhanced perspective to strategize like professional financial analysts through a newly introduced Bloomberg Terminal.

The same platform used by analysts, portfolio managers and traders will expand students’ capabilities, providing them with first-rate, live market information to build quality financial strategies and practice decision-making that employers expect from day one.

The Bloomberg Terminal gathers market data, news, historical prices and analytics in a single system, allowing students to streamline their research more efficiently. They can trace a stock’s performance over decades, measure its risk or examine a company’s financial health. In addition, the terminal can integrate with other software, such as Microsoft Excel, allowing students to carry that data into their own models and put it to use.

Students who want to push further can also earn a Bloomberg certificate in either Bloomberg Market Concepts or Bloomberg Finance Fundamentals.

Developing an expanded financial perspective

A prime example of applied learning with the Bloomberg Terminal takes place in the Fundamentals of Investments coursework. The heart of the course is the Investment Strategy Project, where each student acts as an analyst at a wealth management firm. They choose a client, define what that person needs and wants from their assets, and develop a portfolio designed around those goals.

The project takes students through the full analytical process. They learn the language of investing, use the Bloomberg Terminal to evaluate stocks and bonds and search for the combination that balances reward against risk. Then, they study the broader economic picture, including interest rates and inflation, and decide whether the strongest numbers truly serve the client.

That final step is where students develop professional judgment. “Our students learn to bridge that gap between quantitative rigor and human judgment, the same balance every great advisor has to strike,” says Anh Thu Mai, assistant professor of Finance. “A portfolio that looks good on a spreadsheet may not suit a client’s financial profile, and learning to recognize the difference is central to what financial advisors do every day.”

For the PNW College of Business, the goal is simple: providing students with cutting-edge tools and real practice so they can competitively enter the workforce and be ready to contribute and lead.

For more information about the PNW College of Business’ programs, visit pnw.edu/business.