Bloomberg
Overview
Bloomberg is a global provider of financial news, data, analytics, and media. Its products serve institutional investors, traders, corporate clients, and media audiences, delivering real-time market prices, news, research, and workflow tools across terminals, digital platforms, TV, radio, and print.
History
- Founded in 1981 by Michael Bloomberg.
- The company launched its flagship Bloomberg Terminal and expanded rapidly, reaching thousands of installed units in its first decade and growing its professional services subscriber base in subsequent years.
- Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Businessweek became major components of the company’s media footprint.
- Bloomberg Media expanded into digital formats, podcasts, and streaming; digital subscriptions surpassed half a million in 2023.
The Bloomberg Terminal
The Bloomberg Terminal (Bloomberg Professional Service) is an integrated software platform that provides real-time market data, news, analytics, trading tools, and connectivity for financial professionals. It remains a primary revenue generator and a central workflow hub for institutional market participants.
Products and Services
- Real-time and historical market data and analytics
- News and investigative reporting across finance, politics, and technology
- Media channels: television, radio, digital, podcasts, and print (including Bloomberg Businessweek)
- Enterprise solutions for system integration, data delivery, and automated workflows
- Research and intelligence tools such as Bloomberg Intelligence and Bloomberg Global Data
Technology and Operations
- Bloomberg has adopted open-source big-data technologies and search platforms to support large-scale data processing and delivery.
- In 2015 the company opened a major technology hub on the U.S. West Coast to expand its engineering capacity for encryption, messaging, and trading infrastructure.
- As of 2024, Bloomberg operates global offices (159 locations) and employs over 21,000 people, including roughly 2,700 journalists and analysts across more than 100 locations. The newsroom publishes thousands of stories daily.
Reach and Impact
- The Terminal connects hundreds of thousands of professional users worldwide.
- Bloomberg’s media and data services influence market participants by combining fast news distribution with searchable databases, analytics, and expert commentary.
- Michael Bloomberg, the company’s founder, also served three terms as Mayor of New York City.
Key Takeaways
- Bloomberg is a comprehensive financial-information and media company centered on the Bloomberg Terminal.
- It delivers real-time market data, news, analytics, and enterprise tools used by institutional investors and financial professionals.
- The company combines journalism, large-scale data infrastructure, and software to support global markets and decision-making.