ISD Library

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Finance Sources
This guide emphasises market information rather than company or accounts information. It aims to
represent optimal solutions to financial information questions using the most important sources,
not all possible solutions or potential sources. We welcome suggestions for additional material and
better solutions to those proposed. Please email us at: libresearch@london.edu with any queries or
suggestion you may have.

Key to sources
B Bloomberg
DFO Datastream For Office
DSA Datastream Advance
F FAME/AMADEUS/OSIRIS
M Mergent
PA Perfect Analysis
SDC SDC Platinum/Thomson Deals
Note: In the case of Datastream, it is assumed that the simplest platform is preferred: i.e.
Advance for Office over DS Advance, and DS Advance over DS Windows.

List of topics. In the guide they are arranged alphabetically.

Equities Bonds Markets Interest Miscellaneous

rates
Betas Benchmark Commodity Inter-bank Recommendations
bonds prices rates
Company Bond ratings Constituents Risk free Mergers
prospectuses of an index rates
Dead stocks Bond yields Index values Swap rates Subsidiaries
Dividends Corporate Industrial T-bill rates Events studies
bonds ratios
PE ratio Govt bonds New issues
Rate of return RNS
Return on Share
capital ownership
Risk premium Share prices
Weighted Unadjusted
average cost prices
of capital

Definition of financial and investment terms are provided by Datastream, Bloomberg and
SDC. You can also use the following sites: www.investopedia.com
www.investorwords.com
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF TOPICS

Benchmark bonds
B The command GGR<GO> gives generic or benchmark bonds by country.
DFO Choose BOND INDICES and select Market for country required and Name contains
Benchmark as criteria.

Betas (Current)
B Use the DES<GO> or BETA<GO> with an Equity Ticker to find information on betas. The
figure on DES seems to be a mid- point between the raw and unadjusted betas given on the
BETA page. Note: Bloomberg betas are un-geared.
DFO For a current beta, use the Static request, and the BETA Datatype.
DSA Use Equity and then Company overview.

Betas (Historic)
DS betas are calculated using an formula set out in DS Windows Program 69BETA. This
formula has been converted into a DS Expression with the code 897E for DFO and E175 for
DSA. Different expressions are used because DFO can only cope with user input for one
variable, i.e. the equity.
DFO Use the Time Series Request. Enter the expression 897E in the Datatype box and the
equity code in the series box. The frequency must be monthly.
DSA Use the Comparisons tab to start the process. Select E175 with the expression picker.
Enter (first) the equity index code and (second) the equity code.

Other Use the periodical London Business School Risk Measurement Service for tables of
betas.
Bond ratings (Credit ratings)
B Use the command CRPR<GO> with an Equity ticker for bond ratings

Commodity futures prices

B Under Commodity the CTM menu displays tickers for all future contracts traded worldwide
listed by commodity. Otherwise, use the CEM menu for a list of futures exchanges, which can
be sorted alphabetically or geographically, and select contracts traded on particular
exchanges.

Commodity prices
DFO Choose Time series; select Commodity in the Series look-up, using the find box
and/or by the filters. Specify period and frequency

Company Prospectuses
Other Use Perfect Information/Perfect Filings to obtain prints of filed documents

Constituents of a market index

B Find the Index Ticker by using either the HELP function or <Index> and Option 1; issue the
following command MEM <GO>
DSA Choose CONSTITUENTS. Find the Index List code by using the find box and/or the
filters. Choose a report or download option to view the list. Alternatively choose LOCAL
LISTS and the option to Download a Constituent List if you want to view the list before
outputting it.
Other: For the UK, check with the Stock Exchange Fact File, shelved at 72 511 EBBB, or
current FT.,
The periodical London Business School Risk measurement service also has lists of
constituents of FTA indices
The London Business School Library has compiled an electronic list of FTSE 100 constituents
for each year of the index. It is available as an Excel file.

Credit ratings see Bond ratings

Dead Stocks
DFO Use the EQUITIES code look-up.

Dividends
B Data about an equity’s dividends may be obtained by using the command DVD with the
Equity Ticker
DFO There are 11 Datatypes for all aspects of dividends. For dividend yield use DY.
PA Select Security. Choose Report and Configure. Choose dividend items from Results –
Ratios. Add and Update

Events studies
PA Select security. Click on the news tab. To specify the news events you are interested in,
right click on the screen and select CONFIGURE
Other Perfect Information has RNS announcements. Use the lefthand toolbar to pick
individual events and announcements. Factiva has RNS and news items

Gilts see Government bonds

Government bonds (Gilts)

B Type <GOVT>TK<GO> then select country.
DFO Select Bond Indices in Series and use Find/Filter to obtain series required.
Industry ratios
DFO Use Equity indices. Search for an industry group by selecting the market and then by
including a term for the industry within Name. Only pre-determined industry groups are
available on Datastream.
F Construct a set of companies by using the Select by criteria option. This may be choosing a
SIC code or other grouping, or by matching product and other criteria that describe a given
company. Then use the FAME analysis software to obtain aggregate ratios for the company
set.

Inter-bank Rates
B Type LR<GO>
DFO Choose Time series; select the rate you require from the find box and/or by the
filters. Specify period and frequency

Mergers
B Type MA<GO>
SDC Use the M&A Database to identify mergers and acquisitions on a global basis according
to a wide range of criteria.

New Issues
SDC Use the New Issues Database to identify new stocks on a global basis according to a
wide range of criteria.

Price Earnings Ratio

B The command GRET, when used with an Equity Ticker, will find a table of PE information.
DFO Use either Time Series for historic numbers, or Static Request for Data for a list of
companies. The Datatype is PE.
PA Select Security. Choose Report, Configure and select PE from Report items. Add and Update

Rate of return
B To compare a stock’s rate of return with its sector and abroad market average, type the
Equity Ticker COMP <Go>
DFO Choose Time Series. Include the Datatype RI with either the company code or the Index
code to obtain a return index

Recommendations
B Select Use the command ANR<GO> with the company ticker to obtain buy or sell
recommendations.
Other Use the Investext Plus Database to find Analysts’ reports.
Regulatory News Service see RNS announcements

Return on Capital Employed (ROCE)

B Select the Equity Ticker and type FA<GO>; select item 4 Profitability.
DFO Use Time Series and add (707) to the company mnemonic.
PA Select Security. Choose Report, Configure and select ROCE from Report items. Add and
Update

Return on Shareholders Equity (ROI)

DSA For historic ROI you need to choose the Equity and then the output mode, and then select
701 as an accounts item in the adjustment box.
DFO Use Time Series and add (701) to the company mnemonic.

Risk free rate of return

B Type IYC<GO> which retrieves the International Yield Curves screen; type 1<GO>; enter
curve number in yellow box and <GO>
DSA Choose Bond Indices and country, or Bonds, and search with Benchmark as part of the
name
Risk premium
B Use the command EQRP with a company ticker
DSA Click on Help. Type 69RP to see how a risk premium for a market might be constructed.
RNS announcements
B Use the following commands RNS<GO>, 1<Go> and 25<GO>
Other Use the database Factiva. Select RNS as the source.

Share Ownership
B Use the command PHDC with a company ticker
DSWINDOWS Use the 130 suite of programs for lists of shareholders and recent changes in
major UK companies
F Select company and view report to view major shareholders

Share Price Graphs

B Use the GP<GO> command with the ticker symbol
DFO Download the time series and use the Excel chart option to construct the graph.
DSA Select the equity and use the Chart report type to obtain the graph.
PA Select the Security and choose the Chart option to obtain the price graph.
Other Use Factiva and the charting facility
Subsidiaries
F Search on Company name and then click on subsidiary within company report
Other Use Mergent for an abbreviated list of subsidiaries

Treasury Bills Interest rates

DFO To find the instrument, choose interest rates. Search by selecting the market, and
then by including Treasury or an equivalent within the Name

Unadjusted Share Prices

B Type the command PDF<GO> and select option 10 Equity <GO>. Then tab down to PX
History and change the Y to N<GO> and 1<GO> to Update Look up the share price in the
normal way, and though there is nothing on the table or graph to indicate it, the prices are now
unadjusted. Remember to change the default back.
DSAFO In Time Series or Static requests use the Datatype UP. Do not use the normal default
which is for adjusted prices.

Values of an index
B Find the Index Ticker by using either the HELP function or <Index> and Option 1; issue the
following command; for a Line chart (Index Ticker) <Index> GP <GO>; for a table, replace GP
by HP
DFO Choose TIME SERIES. Insert the code for the index you require. Specify period and
frequency.

Weighted average cost of capital

B Use an equity ticker and then the command WACC<GO>

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