Bloomberg Eases Pricing Chores with MARS API and Python

Repetitive pricing tasks have been part of the job for sell-side salespeople and traders for decades. Previously, they had to compile indicative prices by hand when clients would call in with a request. Then computers picked up the chore of running the numbers, while the salespeople and traders focused on selecting the instruments for the computer to price, inputting market parameters and compiling options for the client to choose from. Seasoned traders and salespeople often price lists a few times each day. But even those who are really good at it will still need to spend 15 minutes on the task each time — and there’s always the possibility of a clerical error. However, with more and more computer-savvy graduates entering the financial workplace, coding skills are widespread. You can use an open-source computer language such as Python to automate the pricing. The code needed to price is basic with Bloomberg’s library of pricing functions and portfolio manipulation via its Multi-Asset Risk System API. The MARS API provides consistent pricing and risk data to model every deal in a portfolio and offers programmatic access to that pricing and risk infrastructure.