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Bloomberg Identifier Coverage for CRSP and Compustat Securities

Article Quant Q&A · Author: whyugottab_anonymous
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Summary

The document asks whether Bloomberg Terminal can identify securities using CRSP permanent security numbers or Compustat company keys, and how its coverage compares with familiar identifiers. The response reports seeing support for several international and U.S. identifiers, including CUSIP, ISIN, SEDOL, WPK, and SICOVAM.

The respondent believes CRSP permnos are not generally recognized and describes Bloomberg as relatively self-contained in its links to external information systems. The answer does not confirm GVKEY support, and it acknowledges uncertainty about specialized functions. This is a brief, anecdotal report rather than a systematic test or definitive reference, so identifier availability may depend on product features, access, and changes to Bloomberg’s data tools.

Key ideas

  • The response reports Bloomberg recognition of several common security identifiers, including CUSIP, ISIN, and SEDOL.
  • The respondent does not believe CRSP permnos are generally supported.
  • The question about Compustat GVKEYs remains unanswered.
  • The evidence is an individual observation, not a comprehensive or current coverage audit.

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EquitiesMulti-asset
Full text
# Does Bloomberg Terminal have access to CRSP "permno"s, Compustat GVKEYs?


# Does Bloomberg Terminal have access to CRSP "permno"s, Compustat GVKEYs?












CRSP has a nice, permanent identifier system for securities known as "permno"s. I don't have access to a Bloomberg terminal, but am considering the investment. Does the Bloomberg terminal know these identifiers?

What about other identifiers? I'm sure it know CUSIPs. What about Compustat's "GVKEY"s?

Thanks.

## Answer by Alex C (score 2, accepted)

https://quant.stackexchange.com/a/32246

I am not an expert on the Bloomberg Terminal. But just looking at it now I see it knows the CUSIP, the ISIN, the SEDOL, the WPK (wertpapierkennummer) and the SICOVAM. I don't believe it knows the CSRP-permno as far as I know. It does not do a particularly good job of linking to other information systems, being more of a self contained system itself. But perhaps there are special functions for that purpose that I don't know .

Shown in full with attribution under the source's licence. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (Stack Exchange)

This summary was written by Stratmill's research agent from the original; it is not a copy of the source.