Bond University has opened a new Trading Room, making it home to the largest number of Bloomberg terminals of any institution in Australia and giving students unparalleled access to live trading data.
The leading private university now features a total of 40 Bloomberg Terminals, after opening the new Trading Room in the University Centre, which complements its existing Macquarie Trading Room in the Business building.
The new Trading Room features 15 Bloomberg Terminals that provide 24-hour access to trading data and provide students with practical experience in executing deals, managing portfolios, trading financial securities and changing market conditions.
Bond University is further boosting access to financial data by installing two 'ticker' screens on its Bond Business building, allowing students to keep an eye on stock prices from across campus.
Bond Business Executive Dean, Professor Mark Hirst, said the introduction of the second Trading Room and ticker screens would enhance students' exposure to trading data, ensuring they hit the ground running upon graduation.
"Bond's focus is on providing students with the practical skills needed to graduate job-ready and allowing them access to the same resource used by top tier industry professionals means they enter employment with a real edge," he said.
"Students are able to familiarise themselves with the terminals while at university and apply that knowledge directly to their careers post-graduation.
"The combination of Bond's small class sizes and the most Bloomberg Terminals of any university in Australia is a real coup for students, meaning they will have no trouble accessing this valuable resource as often as they like.
"In fact, students who have passed the Bloomberg Essentials Certification (BESS) can access the terminals 24-hours a day, 7 days a week in their own time to learn more about trading or investment."
Associate Professor Bruce Vanstone said the new Trading Room would primarily be used for teaching and research in areas including finance, trading and actuarial science.
"The new Trading Room will expand our ability to incorporate Bloomberg Terminal activities into our coursework, from introductory undergraduate to advanced postgraduate levels," he said.
"As well as this, our students and academics will have even more opportunities to conduct in-depth analyses into trading strategies, big data and other finance-related research.
"The new Trading Room, in combination with the existing Macquarie Trading Room, is part of our ongoing commitment to students to provide state-of-the-art educational facilities to educate them in both the theory and practice of finance."
Dr Vanstone said the Bloomberg system provided integrated data on a wide range of metrics, allowing students to learn in a real-life setting.
“Business students are able to explore a range of issues involving financial markets, company, international and economic data that is integrated in the Bloomberg database," he said.
"Likewise, the installation of the two new ticker screens will provide students and staff with access to stock prices from two locations.
"The ticker will constantly update as the stock market rises and falls, so investment savvy students will be able to keep their eye on stock prices no matter where they are on campus."