Author: Samantha

Research Librarian for Business. Based at Cass Library in Bunhill Row.

Access to Morningstar Direct off campus

We are pleased to announce that Library Services are now able to offer remote access to Morningstar Direct during the current closure period.

Morningstar Direct is usually only available from dedicated terminals on site. It is an investment analysis platform, providing access to investments in Indexes, Equities, Hedge Funds, Segregated Accounts, Open-End Funds, Closed-End Funds, Insurance/Pension/Life and Exchange Traded Funds.

Please note that Morningstar can only be used on a Windows PC/laptop. Instructions for downloading Morningstar, the Excel Add-in, how to use the web version and the current password (which will change each week) can be obtained via the Cass Library Services Moodle Module. 

If you don’t currently have access to this module you can self enrol – please go to Cass Library Services Moodle Module, and click ‘Self-Enrol’ when prompted. 

If you have any questions please email casslibrary@city.ac.uk.

Students using Morningstar PCs in Northamton Squarelibrary

A new look for two databases: Fame and IBISWorld

Two of our databases, IBISWorld and Fame have recently updated their interfaces and added some exciting new features.

IBISWorld – Industry Research database for the UK, US, China and global reports has streamlined its look and added the following product developments:

  • Interactive charts
  • Downloadable formats including Word, Excel, PDF and PowerPoint
  • Easier navigation.

Fame, a financial database for company accounts data in the UK and Ireland has officially switched to a new and improved look. The design has been available for a preview, so you might have already seen it. Fame’s new interface:

  • Allows for more seamless searching
  • Enables users to create graphs including data not only from companies but now from indexes too.
  • Provides greater clarity in the definitions of terminology and how they’re calculated.

 

Both of these databases are great for anyone investigating particular companies or industries for their coursework, but they are also excellent when you are job-hunting: use them to gain insight into the industries your target company is involved in, and information on their finances and how they compare to their peers.

 

New Year, New Look: a new look for Fame and IBISWorld

A new look for Cass Library Services

There’s been some changes at Cass Library!  Over the summer we had some refurbishment work done to improve your study environment. We’ve taken down a partition wall and expanded the Financial Resources Zone to create a more comfortable space, added some sound-dampening panels to the walls, and installed a lovely new sliding door between the Financial Resources Zone and the adjacent study area.

The refurbished Financial Resources Zone with three blocks of four computers now separated from the journals collection by an automatic sliding door.

There’s new desks and chairs around the library and in the PC lab, new plugs with USB ports and new lamps with different brightness settings. We’ve even had a lick of paint!  Take a look at the sliding door in operation:

We hope you like it all: let us know what you think!

Cass Library Refurbishment 3rd-8th September 2019

As part of the ongoing refurbishment work at Bunhill Row, Cass Learning Resource Centre (LRC) will be closed for a further period from Tuesday, 3rd September to Sunday, 8th September, inclusive. Continue reading Cass Library Refurbishment 3rd-8th September 2019

Cass Library Refurbishment 13th-21st July

Cass Library, Bunhill Row, is getting a new look! We are giving the Financial Resources Zone a new look and improving the space to provide you with a better working environment.  As part of this work it will be necessary to close the Learning Resource Centre for one week from Saturday, 13th July to Sunday, 21st July inclusive. Continue reading Cass Library Refurbishment 13th-21st July

Thomson Reuters Room at Cass Library, Bunhill Row, closed between 1st and 8th of April

The Thomson Reuters Room (R1010) is going to be closed for a week from 1st April. The room is being refurnished, so when it opens up again on 8th April, you’ll have new and better furniture to make using the room more comfortable. Eikon PCs in the room will be unavailable during this period. You can find 5 more Eikon PCs in Cass Library, which you can book online for up to two hours at a time, and 2 at our Northampton Square campus, which you can also book.

You can find locations of alternative PCs for general use around Cass on IT Services’ website.

Room 1010, Bunhill Row

CRSP: Center for Research in Security Prices Survivor Bias Free US Mutual Database

Do you want a large amount of historical time series data covering security prices, returns and volume data for stock exchanges in the US like the NYSE, AMEX, ARCA and NASDAQ? CRSP is the dataset for you. It is usually pronounced ‘crisp’ and is hosted on WRDS (pronounced like ‘words’), along with research datasets like Compustat, Audit Analytics, IBES and more. Use the ‘Register’ button and your City email address to create an account.  WRDS is a serious research tool for data and gives you access to a range of powerful analytics tools.

Additional files in CRSP provide stock indices, beta- and cap-based portfolios, treasury bond and risk-free rates, mutual funds and real estate data, and you can cross-search with sister database Compustat, which contains company fundamentals and market information.

Use this dataset if you want lots of comprehensive historical data to perform analysis on for your project or other coursework. It is a popular research resource in higher-end business schools, and institutional investors use it to back-test investment strategies and set benchmarks.  

If you would like some help using our financial databases, contact your librarian for guidance and support.

Screenshot of CRSP homepage
The CRSP Homepage