My boss is done tired of the LSEG eikon/workspace product and wants to move to a different provider. We are currently considering Factset, Capital IQ and possibly Bloomberg but that might be overkill for us. What do you guys use/ prefer?
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Based on the most helpful WSO content, FactSet and Capital IQ are both strong contenders for financial data and research platforms. FactSet is often praised for its user-friendly interface and robust financial benchmarking tools, while Capital IQ is known for its comprehensive data coverage and Excel integration capabilities. Bloomberg, while powerful, might indeed be overkill if your needs are more focused and budget-conscious.
If you're looking for alternatives, platforms like PrivCo and PitchBook are also worth considering, especially if private company data is a priority. Additionally, Crunchbase Pro has been highlighted as a cost-effective option for certain use cases.
Ultimately, the choice depends on your specific needs, such as the type of data you require, the level of customization, and your budget. It might be worth trialing a couple of these platforms to see which aligns best with your workflow.
Sources: Knowledge Sharing: Corporate Development / M&A, Top L/S in London and Hong Kong (e.g., Lone Pine, Viking, Coatue, Maverick, Darsana, etc.), What are your IB cheat codes?, TMT prep, Q&A: Equity Analyst at a Sovereign Wealth/Pension Fund
My opinion:
BBG + Alphasense + VA = most $$$
Low tier Refinitiv + VA = minimum
Estimates = VA is the standard for estimates (+ granular), required
Data terminal = BBG is the best, followed by Refinitiv/LSEG top tier, then Factset, then CapIQ, then Refinitiv low tier
Research management = Alphasense, followed by BBG, followed by Factset
VA?
Visible Alpha (owned by Capiq)
I’m not the biggest AS fan bc it’s really hit and miss depending on the sector but ya, idk how you can do the job without BBG and VA. Maybe no VA in a longer term SM set up but you’re playing with one arm tied if you don’t have it in a pod.
What use do you get out of AS that BBG doesn't offer out of curiosity? I feel like BBG is adding all their capabilities.
Agreed, BBG encroaching on AS. The Tegus acquisition makes sense in light of that...
Whilst Bloomberg is catching up on the UX for document search (still lagging AlphaSense), isn't the incremental functionality you get from AS the broader content sources that baked in to "smart search" from news sources, industry journals, trade publications, expert calls and internal firm content libraries?
maybe not relevant for L/S but what are thoughts on the broker/sell side research platforms? I've used citi velo, JPM MM, and marquee/GS Quant for rates/quant stuff and imo they provided a better dev/analyst experience than bbg
BBG (mkt data) + VA (consensus) + MaidenCentury (alt data) = trifecta
Bloomberg for most things - can use MODL for consensus and then document search for street research
Bamsec for filing/transcript search
Tegus / GLG for expert calls and transcripts
I didnt love AS when I tried it- mainly because I get all its functionality from the other stuff. They bought Tegus/BamSEC but it’s like $7k more to bundle it all vs leaving as-is.
AlphaSense is on a good product roadmap with the acquisition of Tegus. Good coverage of tech market with the database of call transcripts.
I’ve been using edmundsec vs bamsec the past year ish and I think I like it more. It’s a little more cumbersome for proxies but the table downloads across periods is way better than what bamsec gives you. The AI transcript summaries are decent too.
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