New Business Data Analysis Lab now open

The Business Data Analysis Lab features 10 dual screens with 11 Bloomberg terminals, plus an additional terminal in the faculty lounge.

ADVICE FOR ALUMNI: Saturday, April 11, 2015  1-3 p.m.  Students in Austin Murphy's Portfolio Management class (FIN 417) will offer financial planning and investment advice at no cost to Oakland University alumni. The students will have finished virtually the entire course and already been tested on previous financial/investment plans that they have proposed.

In the newly renovated lab in 327 Elliott Hall, Oakland University business students will find the newest addition to the school’s suite of data analysis tools –  ten dual-screen Bloomberg financial terminals. The terminals offer business students access to a powerful tool that financial and business professionals across disciplines rely upon for instant access to databases, financial news, company reports, economic statistics, industry research, information from foreign exchange markets and more.

By using the Bloomberg Professional service, students can obtain current and historical financial data on individual equities, stock market indices, fixed-income securities, currencies, commodities, futures, and foreign exchange for both international and domestic markets. The service also provides news on worldwide financial markets and industries as well as economic data for the countries of the world.  Company profiles, company financial statements and filings, analysts’ forecasts, and audio and video interviews and presentations by key players in business and finance are also available.

Through course assignments, student org activities and open lab hours, Oakland business students can use the Bloomberg terminals to develop better analytical skills, make decisions based on real-world data, challenge their own methods of analysis and test their skills with the Bloomberg Essentials Online Training Program (BESS).

The lab houses 22 additional work stations featuring access to standard Windows software, data analysis software such as CRSP, SPSS, JMP, and other specialized software.

Oakland University is one of only a handful of universities in Michigan where students can get hands-on experience using this professional tool.

Check it out during the winter 2015 open lab hours:

• Monday and Wednesday: 10:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
• Tuesday and Thursday: 10:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
• Friday: 10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.