Bloomberg Mobile Application Review

Overall Rating	4.5 out of 5
Commissions & Fees	0 out of 5
Trading and Tools	0 out of 5
Investment Products and Services	0 out of 5
Research and Education	0 out of 5
Customer Service	0 out of 5

Price: Free
Available for: iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile

THE COMPANY:

The Bloomberg brand has long been synonymous with financial news and data. Michael Bloomberg, current mayor of New York City, conceived the company almost 30 years ago after being fired from Salomon Brothers. It didn’t take long for Merrill Lynch to snatch up Bloomberg’s first order of market terminals, the product that the company is most renowned for. Bloomberg has evolved its financial data and news terminals to compute over 30,000 functions; and with nearly 300,000 Bloomberg Terminal subscribers worldwide, the firm makes up roughly a third of the global financial data market. The core business growth is paralleled by an expansion of subsequent financial products, such as Bloomberg TV, Bloomberg Radio, and Bloomberg Markets magazine. As a cornerstone of trading floors and offices all over the world, Bloomberg has continuously provided accurate and trustworthy support for millions of businesses and individuals.

APPLICATION OVERVIEW:

Bloomberg Mobile is the newest addition to the reputable financial giant’s arsenal of financial products. The application is a compact version of the Bloomberg website, and it follows the most important stories and stocks from around the world. Up-to-the-minute worldwide news is available as content is added throughout the day during the world’s different trading sessions, even though the bulk of the articles are written for US market hours. Unlike other investment apps that follow a finite list of capital markets, Bloomberg truly spans the globe to cover dozens of international indices, commodities, bonds, currencies and futures. Following stocks is easy with an effortless stock finder, and there is an attached description about every company, index, or fund. Charts can be set in multiple time frames, and users can scroll back and forth on all charts to search historical patterns and data. With Bloomberg Mobile, you can even build your portfolio for easy tracking. The application leads the way in the mobile investment software arena for its ease of use, market coverage, and economic news. With a price tag of zero, there’s no good reason an investor shouldn’t give Bloomberg Mobile a try.

MENU SECTIONS: (4.5 stars out of 5)

News:
Stay on top of what’s moving the markets and shaping the economy with dozens of different news articles at your fingertips. Bloomberg has made a name for itself over the last 25+ years as one of the most trusted disseminators of global financial and economic information, and the well-written articles that are found on this application are the same of which you’ll find on Bloomberg’s website. Bloomberg publishes all of their own reports- no third party contributions- and the news feed releases content throughout the day, not just during the US market session. This allows investors who have interest or stake in international assets to stay in tune with what’s going on from the convenience of their mobile device. What separates Bloomberg’s news from that of its competitors is the breadth of customizable categories users can select from. There are 34 separate groupings from which to choose, with classifications that focus on different asset classes, industries, or geographical areas. Users can highlight and receive as much or as little news as they want by checking categories on and off and even rearranging their list. As always, articles are thought provoking and informative, as the investing public has come to expect from Bloomberg.

Markets:
Unlike Daily Finance or even Morningstar, Bloomberg Mobile covers 37 different global indices- from Toronto to Tel Aviv to Tokyo. The main Markets screen is broken into four geographical sections with a list of basic quotes from all the markets. Selecting a particular index gets you a more detailed quote along with a blurb describing the index and its components. You can choose to view charts, industry movers, and particular stock movers from each global index. Even though Bloomberg is contractually prohibited from showing classification data for a few of the indices, you still will not find paralleled coverage from global markets around the world in a free mobile application.

My Stocks:
Any respectable investment application that gears towards stocks and capital markets has an area where users enter their own portfolio or watchlist. Bloomberg Mobile’s version of an investment portfolio section is not as comprehensive as some. Entering your position and entry price for each stock/fund is optional, but even after doing so there is a limited range of functionality. Aside from the normal categories like price or net change, the My Stocks section lets you scroll through multiple viewing options for each stock position such as P&L, position size, or total value. There are no unique formats from which to view your portfolio though, so this menu section is pretty standard and basic.

Stock Finder:
Finding a stock or fund is easy with Bloomberg Mobile’s Stock Finder. You can search by ticker or by company name, and the list of all applicable stocks and funds appear. The stock finder even saves a list of your most recent searches for quicker access to information, and the list can be cleared at any time as well. Clicking on a given company name will bring up the stock information, which includes a detailed quote, price chart with different timeframes, related news snapshot, and brief company description. Once again, Bloomberg Mobile makes it easy to navigate the markets and find what you’re looking for.

USABILITY: (4.5 stars out of 5)

Because Bloomberg Mobile covers the gamut of financial news and capital markets from all over the globe, any type of investor can find what he/she is looking for. News that is neatly organized into categories tailors the experience to the user’s desired areas of investments. Bloomberg Mobile offers one of the widest varieties of news available as well, so you can read about anything that piques your interest. Even though Bloomberg only uploads their own content to the application and doesn’t feature any third-party articles, users can rest assured knowing the company’s track record of excellence. The application is easy to navigate with intuitive features and functions. Bloomberg Mobile stays bug free, and you will rarely find any kind of technical problems accessing information. There is a 10 minute lag on all index and stock data, but the app refreshes itself every minute to help keep information as current as possible. The portfolio section called “My Stocks” is helpful to see a condensed list of one’s holdings, but there aren’t too many functions of the portfolio other than a few different viewing options. With high quality content, extensive investment coverage, and straightforward navigation, Bloomberg Mobile is a practical and useful tool for any investor.

CONCLUSION:   (4.5 stars out of 5)

Investors looking for an application that distributes breaking financial news from every industry and geographical area can look no further. Bloomberg Mobile’s 34 different categories of news coverage span every type of asset class from every inch of the planet. Bloomberg disseminates reports that are well written and insightful wherever the gears of capital markets turn. 37 International indices are broken down with descriptions, detailed quotes, movers by industry and stock, and charts. The stock coverage on Bloomberg Mobile is also comprehensive, with all the same thorough reportage as the indices. Even though price data lags by roughly 10 minutes on this application, the information put forward by Bloomberg Mobile keeps investors ahead of the pack. The application is free, so you can capture the essence of Bloomberg’s reputable dispersion of data and information risk-free. Stay on top of any market in the world with Bloomberg Mobile.

VISIT:  www.bloomberg.com/mobile