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Introduction toDatastream

Jiaxin LowResearch Librarian, Finance

Singapore Management University

What is Datastream?

• Finance and economic database from Thomson Reuters

• Historical time-series data, global coverage

• Equities, bonds, indices, unit trusts, investment trusts, commodities, derivatives, constituent lists, exchange rates, interest rates, economic data, statistics…

• Does not include qualitative data and data on private companies

Where can I retrieve data?

Access information via:

• Datastream 5.1

• Datastream Advance for Office

(“Excel Add-In”)

Datastream 5.1

• Request Screen

Datastream 5.1

• Step 1: Select Data Category

• Step 2: Select Analysis type

Datastream 5.1

• Step 3: Find Series

What is "Series”?

Datastream 5.1

• Step 3: Find Series and use the DatastreamNavigator

Click on symbol to select

Datastream 5.1

• Step 4: Select Datatype

Click on symbol to select

Datastream 5.1

• Step 5: Select Time Period (click on blue button to customise), Currency, Settings (frequency of data, etc)

• Step 6: Run Now!

Datastream 5.1

• Data retrieved in main window

Datastream Advance for Office

• Go to Add-Ins tab or Datastream tab

Datastream Advance for Office

• Step 1: Select type of request: Static Request or Time Series Request

Datastream Advance for Office

• Time Series Request Screen:

Datastream Advance for Office

• Step 2: Find Series

• Step 3: Select Datatype

Tip: To use multiple series or datatypes, check the boxes at each row and click “Use”

Check and click “Use”

Datastream Advance for Office

• Step 4: Configure settings

• Step 5: Submit request

Datastream Advance for Office

• Data retrieved:

HELP?!?!?

Research Guide

• http://researchguides.smu.edu.sg/datastream

Stay updated!

• Twitter (tiny sample)

– @FinancialTimes

– @WSJ

– @BloombergNews

– @TheEconomist

– @HarvardBiz

– @YahooFinance

(also: @smubizlib)