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Solutions Overview
Scenario
Traders use Microsoft Excel extensively to perform analysis, develop trade models and manage
their portfolios. Although Excel is a great tool, there are many shortcomings when using
a spreadsheet in conjunction with market data. Willow developed a number of products for
Reuters which help traders to overcome these shortcomings.
Company Profile
Reuters, the world's largest provider of financial market data and news, supplies global
financial markets and news media with real-time financial data, investment data, numerical,
textual, historical and graphical databases plus news, text, graphics, news video, and news
pictures.
Situation
Reuters customers wanted the ability to retrieve and manipulate real-time financial data
directly into their spreadsheets so that they could build custom models and perform proprietary
analysis in order to make trading decisions. These customers preferred the familiar and
flexible spreadsheet interface to anything else that Reuters could provide. They also wanted
to combine Reuters data with information available from other third-party and corporate
databases to monitor risk, calculate real-time positions and identify arbitrage opportunities.
Willow developed a number of tools that gave traders and analysts the flexibility and information
they need.
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A number of sophisticated Excel-based applications were developed to help traders, analysts and managers:
- gain faster access to market data
- retrieve and manipulate large amounts of data from central databases
and third party vendors
- obtain data in formats which can be used for further calculations
and analysis
- monitor portfolios and manage their positions
- optimize their trading decisions
To assist traders, brokers and analysts in using Reuters valuable information, Willow Solutions
designed and developed the Reuters Tools, a set of utilities built right into Excel to provide
all the capabilities Reuters customers need. The tools retrieve live financial data into
an Excel worksheet and assist the user in analyzing, manipulating and distributing the data
across the organization.
Some of the tools create formulas that link directly to Reuters network so that models
recalculate in real time. These tools can also retrieve snap quotes to provide end-of-day
reporting. Other tools retrieve historical data or parse page-based data. The more advanced
tools actually automate many of the activities frequently performed by traders, such as
scheduling data retrieval for specific times of day, print scheduling, limit monitoring
and collecting and analyzing tick data.
For example, a user could pull real-time quotes on stocks, indices and other instruments
directly to their Excel worksheet. Historical data can be brought in as well, feeding real-time
analysis models. One tool pulls in the current prices and information and another charts
the data, dynamically updating as new data is returned. The Reuters data network is huge
and users can get it directly to their Excel desktop with the Reuters Tools.
All of the Reuters Tools are wizard-based, providing an easy to learn step-by-step process
to perform each task. In addition, speed tools are available for more advanced users who
don't need the extra assistance and don't want to waste valuable time or screen resources.
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