Chico State’s New Bloomberg Terminal Offers Cutting-Edge Experience

Chico State students can now access the Bloomberg Terminal at the College of Business’ new FinTech Lab, an investment research workroom designed to provide students with cutting-edge software and real-time trading observations.

The Bloomberg Terminal provides real-time and historical data, market moving news and analytics to help leading business and finance professionals worldwide make better informed investment decisions. The Bloomberg Terminal also features trading platforms for every asset class and research, and a global network to communicate securely and reliably. The University’s subscriptions to the Bloomberg Terminal will reinforce classroom theory and allow students to become familiar with tools used in financial services, including portfolio management, security and risk analysis, equity research, derivatives pricing, supply chain analysis and commodity pricing. Professors will also be able to use it to further their own research.

“The FinTech Lab allows all Chico State students and faculty to access the Bloomberg Terminal, which is widely recognized as the gold standard in financial data, news and trading tools,” said Terence Lau, dean of the College of Business. “It will also allow our community to earn coveted Bloomberg certifications and to put theory to practice, a key part of our experiential learning focus. This lab opening represents a big step forward in implementing our five-year strategic plan to become a leading College of Business and to graduate students known widely as ‘Company Worth Keeping.’”

Students can access the Bloomberg Terminal on 12 stations to also track weather and political events that impact pricing of goods around the world, allowing users to monitor interest rates, international trade, supply chain networks and capital flows.

The Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF), a cross-college program, will use the FinTech Lab and Bloomberg Terminal to manage a real-money portfolio, make decisions and vote on equity investments to buy and sell.

“The FinTech lab will give me hands-on experience with equity valuation and portfolio management,” said sophomore Justin Scullion, who is majoring in business administration with an option in finance. “I will be able to monitor the markets in real time and gain insight into thousands of companies.”

Faculty and staff are eager to integrate the lab into course offerings, student clubs and more.

“We are so excited to offer our students real-world experience managing investments that goes beyond the classroom,” said Jaycob Arbogast, director for the Center for Excellence in Finance. “This opportunity couldn’t have been possible without our generous donors, the University Foundation Board of Governors and the SAP University Competence Center.”

The FinTech Lab, located in Glenn Hall, also hosts the SAP Next-Gen Lab. The SAP Next-Gen Lab is an extension of SAP University Alliances, a program that enables faculty to bring SAP software and curriculum into classrooms and academic research. The SAP Next-Gen Lab ensures that students have experience with and exposure to SAP software, readying them for a rewarding career in a dynamic, ever-changing world. SAP Next-Gen Labs encourage a partnership with SAP Ecosystem partners to work with the students in the College of Business to create mutually beneficial projects. The College of Business is one of only two higher education programs in North America to host an SAP University Competence Center, which provides training and hosting services for SAP to more than 200 university clients worldwide.