Learning Excel VBA on my own to prepare for Trading career...
I am from a non-target school with just a 3.5 GPA double-majoring in Applied Math and Finance and really want to find a way to break into trading. I've been getting back in touch with contacts I made last fall/winter before I went abroad and doing that usual networking, but I wanted to take it a step farther to show my dedication to the field. I had an accounting internship previously and currently have a wealth management internship, but have never used VBA in the office. Excel VBA is clearly essential to working as a trader so I wanted to try and learn it on my own so I can put it as a proficiency on my resume and get more on par with the target-school kids who have had BB internships, or at least putt myself ahead of kids who have the same experience as me but are not as dedicated.
Obviously I've YouTubed and Google searched and such, but it's pretty hard to find an explanation/example of how it is used in the world of trading. Yes the actual methods traders at each firm use are probably firm-specific and well-protected, but I'm looking for at least general examples so I can try to develop code myself to my liking. I have had some experience writing Java C++ (just one class in college) and am a math major, so have a very solid idea of coding logic, but need to learn the syntax/subtleties of VBA.
Please let me know if you know of any specific videos I could follow along with to learn coding on my own, or if there is a really good trading-specific site with examples on it. Or most likely if you know of any reasonably-priced (maybe $50-100?) self-teaching guide that is trading-specific (or at least related) that would be excellent to know. I have the passion and the talent I just need to fill in the gaps to let employers know I have it.
I'm trying to brush up on my VBA as well. Any comments from someone who has taught themselves through books, websites etc. would be greatly appreciated
Not familiar with any trading-specific guide, though I purchased the Excel 2010 Power Programming with VBA guide by John Walkenbach when I was learning VBA. It was excellent and walked me through the object map very well. I learned VBA through that book and posting on a few VBA forums with specific project questions. Took me about 2 months of 3hours/week to get decent at it.
I told our intern that he should audit a VBA course if his school offers it. I dont know VBA but it would make my job easier and I would be able to use bloomberg to its complete capability.
get a VBA for dummies book and start running through the lessons. then, the best way to learn more is working on projects and searching forums for help with specific road blocks you run into. create trading models for yourself. if you have access to bloomberg, practice pulling in data and running regressions. if you don't have access to bloomberg, practice using the interactive brokers API. The demo is free and a personal account is reasonably priced.
best way to get good is with repetition...
Just curious, is learning VBA useful for the sales side of S&T or IBD?
Not really useful for Sales, but you never know.
To the OP, do not try to learn VBA for Trading before learning VBA. I remember I tried some of the books that apply VBA to trading and you will not learn much.
The best way is to go through Walkenback Power Programming. Its very basic which is good. A lot of the details wont stick but that is ok, you are not going through it to memorize it. What it does give you is an idea of what is possible with VBA, and how to start going about it. Then when you have a project you can say, ok to get the final result I will need to combine this and this. Then with the help of google you can easily come up with workable code that you can tailor. It takes a lot of time to start being able to just sit down and write code. The most important part is that you can figure out which pieces of vba you need to combine to solve the project you are working on.
Yeah I know some basic C++ and am an applied math major so I have taken classes from logical set/array construction and algorithmic functions to matrix encryption and Markov chains (in lamens terms the best way to quickly explain this is that markov chains are how they determine the probability of landing on any one space in a board game from any other space...they are also used to determine bull/bear/neutral markets in some instances from what I read on the internet). It is more about converting my C++, Mathematica and SAS knowledge to VBA.
I do agree with you I will have to do some basics first is, I guess I'll buy VBA for dummies like someone said above. I was more looking for what to do for the next step (i.e. making my knowledge applicable). Good idea whoever said to audit an advanced excel class I'm definitely going to do that this upcoming semester. I wanted to take one but my school doesn't allow taking >20 credits in a semester, which is probably a good thing for us workaholics....
Workaholics? Fool we be burnin...
If you really want to learn advance VBA and valuations models buy this set of books: "Paul Wilmott on Quantitative Finance ". Not only you get the finance theory but you also get the code for some great models.
Starting off with Walkenbach and using online forums will help you get the basics. I like ozgrid.com and finance30.com - quite a few posters there helped me with tweaking code without getting too technical and will answer questions nicely :)
Yes you can still use VBA on the sales side. A lot of database archiving of information etc.
I bought VBA for Dummies and worked through it--surprisingly it's actually quite a good intro book. I'll let you guys know if I find any more good ones.
anyone know what kind of VBA interview questions one can expect for an entry level trading position?
Book for learning VBA/Excel/Modelling (Originally Posted: 09/16/2011)
Hi guys Im looking for books to help me learn VBA and Excel for modelling.
I have a good knowledge of basic excel(shortcuts, pivot tables etc.) but want to improve.
Could anybody recommend a good book?
Thanks.
vba for dummies and the internet community (mrexcel.com) was wat worked for me, make sure you're working on something to put it into context though.
VBA for Modelers and Option Pricing Formulas
use the search function retard.
don't know this book so cant recommend or otherwise.
covers intro to vba vba for dummies parts 1, 2, 3 and 5 (part 4 is focused on gui which is not so useful)
covers some database interaction with vba pro excel 2007 vba (apress)
excel vba and macros (or something like that), from QUE looks somewhat good.
mrexcel, stackoverflow, devguru, connectionstrings.com
Not exactly what you're asking, but the etextbook of Rosenbaum, Pearl - Investment Banking (Valuation, LBOs, and M&A) plus the sidealong models (blank + complete) was amazingly helpful. Good chapters on DCF, Comps, LBO modeling.
Probably more of a primer text, less about VBA etc but a solid ref guide to have around.
^^^ I bought Investment Banking ( hard copy ) and it is an amazing book.
That books is good and provides online access to the models used in the book. Good to see in Excel what is going on and figuring out the logic behind it.
Is there much modelling in that Investment banking book?
Basically I have a good knowledge of excel. I want to get a good knowledge of VBA and then apply those skills to practical situations.
In that IB book would you build a model from scratch or are the models just put in the background?
Anybody ever try either of these:
Data Analysis And Business Modeling With Excel by W. Winston
or
Building Financial Models with Microsoft Excel: A Guide for Business Professionals by K. Scott Proctor
Thanks guys.
http://www.amazon.com/Financial-Modeling-Simon-Benninga/dp/0262026287/r…
Learning VBA for a Job (Originally Posted: 04/21/2011)
Hey guys I got a quick question that maybe you guys can help me out with. I’m trying to hone my skills and make myself alittle more marketable. I want to learn how to write VBA macros and have no background in programming. I have no programming skills but am exceptionally good with excel. I find it that more and more posting require some sort of VBA. Also what would be the learning on learning VBA and mastering it? Thanks in advance!
I think VBA would not be very difficult to learn if you have a strong grasp of Excel. The most difficult part is learning how Excel wants you to write. There are plenty of books out there that can teach you to write the code, but I suggest just recording random macro's and then going into the VBA editor to see how the recording was written. You will see a ton of "fluff" (like if you scroll over and then select a cell), but will start to learn the basic syntax. I was able to teach myself fairly easily just by learning what the recordings were coding and using forums on any questions. Pick a small and easy project that you want to do, and then work on just coding that into a macro. Eventually, you will start to expand your knowledge and VBA vocabulary.
VBA and macro's are a pretty huge part of everything we do in AM.
I learned what i know about macro coding through recording and analyzing (and forums!) just like the previous poster. It's all you need to do.
While I almost automated my entire job during a MO SA stint, I find that I almost never use it in my FO HF role now. It's still good to know though.
I'm currently going through walkenbach's Excel 2007 VBA for dummies. Pretty helpful because it starts from the most basic and then works its way up to writing basic macros, working with objects, arrays, loops, etc.
But as the previous posters said, recording a macro on excel and then going through the code in visual basic editor is quite helpful.
Thanks, Brady. Good look. I ordered the VBA for dummies from my library yesterday.
Thanks alot guys you've been really helpful, I'm going to start doing this, this weekend.
Learning VBA SPECIFICALLY for Trading (Originally Posted: 05/13/2011)
I know there have been many posts about self learning VBA but I have looked at the recommended books and they seem to be books for learning the basics without a trading focus. I was wondering if there was any resources out there for learning VBA specifically for the type of work that an intern would be expected to do on the trading floor.
I'd like to know this too. Particularly if there are any specific functions/codes that are frequently used.
If you know how to use VBA and manipulate datasets on Excel (call info from other files/BBG, conduct calculations, set alerts etc), then you are fine in terms of your skill set for your internship. Nothing new to learn for trading. In addition, your bank/shop might have internal functions and protocol which vary from shop to shop so no way to learn that without actually being at the job.
Application to trading is simply using your brain an extra step. If oyu know how to use VBA, you shouldnt have to have everything spelt out for you.
Alright, thanks.
Just wondering if there's anything I needed to practice.
should I learn VBA for Excel 2007 or 2003? From what I understand VBA for both versions is similar but editing the menus/ interface is different with Excel 2007's ribbon system
I would learn for 2003. The desks I and my friends were in all used Excel 2003.
VBA is pretty much the exact same for 2003 as it is for 2007.
the ribbon functions and the user interface is a lot different from what I've read
You will rarely be developing a UI. It will be macros to do tasks like cleaning data, parsing, consolidating, archiving, extracting from other sources (BBG, other files, internal bank systems), showing data (real time/historical) in charts/tables, alert signals based on conditions etc. Just click a button.
I'm using Excel 2003 Power Programming http://www.Amazon.com/Excel-2003-Power-Programming-VBA/dp/0764540726
Are there any chapters I should focus on or skip?
Learning VBA - Useful/worth the time? (Originally Posted: 12/10/2009)
First of all, is it useful/worth the time? Secondly, are there any good books/guides you would recommend?
Useful at times, doesn't take much effort.
VBA For Dummies + the excel Record Macro function combined will teach you how to refuel a nuclear submarine using VBA.
Learning VBA - Good resources to learn (Originally Posted: 05/24/2008)
Anyone know any good resources to learn VBA well for coding Excel macros?
The Dummy's Guide is a great introduction, with very "Duh!"-like instructions for learning the basics.
Learning The Basics in VBA (Originally Posted: 01/30/2014)
Thank You!
vba is mainly for automating excel tasks. its useful BC banks are cheap and they primarily use excel. SAS ,you will likely never use, its too expensive and there are free alternatives like R
Best way to learn the basics is by recording a macro then pressing Alt+F11 to see the code that underlies it. Change the code a bit and see how it changes the macro. Then try adding a few lines to your macro by googling what you need to know. Continue many, many more times.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me.
Essential VBA functions (Originally Posted: 01/02/2012)
Hey guys, I've got an interview coming up that would like candidates to have a knowledge of VBA. I have a CS background and am familiar with excel, so would like to dive head first into a few functions that would go a long way (ex: sort cells by color, delete repeat rows, etc.). Does anybody have a url, youtube vid, etc. that has some useful VBA functions? And if I missed a thread with this topic on the search function, a url there would be fine too.
http://www.anthony-vba.kefra.com/vba/vbabasic1
http://www.vbafin.com/
Learning to write macros (Originally Posted: 08/02/2008)
Anyone have advice on the best way to learn how to write macros on your own... websites, books, etc? Thanks guys.
Never Lose Your BlackBerry www.conveniencesoftware.com
Just read the documentation.
Consequatur quis voluptas aut veniam et qui delectus expedita. Facilis molestiae necessitatibus et consequatur eaque sunt quia. Nihil autem quod vitae animi dolorum perspiciatis quos. Facilis aliquam quasi cum et assumenda provident consectetur. Laborum nulla ut autem amet sed quo nostrum. Sint molestiae sunt et ut.
Ea modi esse temporibus aut doloremque explicabo. Doloremque culpa dicta repellendus culpa. Atque maiores praesentium vel similique cum veritatis. Dolore nisi et modi ut non eligendi.
Rerum exercitationem ut eius odio qui. Deserunt dicta itaque sed beatae esse fugit qui. Laudantium quo sed aut qui architecto aut nesciunt.
Nam quia quia excepturi consequuntur harum. Et sit est vel quaerat ut. Occaecati voluptatem porro laboriosam rerum. Adipisci aut enim dolorem error distinctio.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Doloribus officia ea quia itaque nisi. Quo fugiat est dolorem omnis qui. Cum ut dolorem consequatur quos corrupti consequatur voluptatem.
Consequatur quaerat similique omnis quia. Quia voluptatem voluptas magni nam dolore nemo officia enim. Ut commodi laborum quia ut.
Veritatis aut quidem ut qui. Et unde et quia itaque et veritatis. Itaque neque dolores fugit nam eos sed aut aut. Repudiandae illo vel temporibus alias.
Mollitia optio repellat dolorum voluptatibus molestias. Incidunt iusto voluptate sequi est magni. Et sequi qui sit aliquam libero et atque. Consequatur minima sed rerum ducimus minus harum provident. Repellat quas et quod expedita ab iste. Totam modi aut maxime iure dolor facere ea enim.
Vel voluptas eos repudiandae dolorem et quos. Eius placeat fugiat enim voluptatibus quibusdam aut. Et quibusdam nobis et eius dolorem nihil repellendus at. Deleniti repudiandae nobis doloribus ut quae nam aperiam. Quam maxime provident facere numquam veritatis. Nesciunt ullam aut sed culpa. Doloribus voluptatum veniam aut.
Eligendi a est voluptate occaecati sit voluptates aut. Quia ut velit et deserunt delectus ratione laudantium est. Sed sed quis ipsum dolor eveniet libero. Veritatis quia deserunt tempora est harum voluptatum rerum.