Bloomberg PX Fields: Price Abbreviation and Snapshot Data
Summary
The document explains the Bloomberg field prefix “PX,” commonly used in names such as PX_LAST and PX_VOLUME. Contributors describe it as an abbreviation for price, with one noting that “prix” is the French word for price and that the shorthand predates Bloomberg. The discussion also distinguishes PX-prefixed fields from similarly named real-time fields: PX_LAST represents the last price available when requested, while LAST_PRICE can update through a live subscription. PX_BID and BID, and PX_VOLUME and VOLUME, are given as further examples.
The explanations are practical conventions rather than a definitive breakdown of the letters P and X. One answer cautions that Bloomberg field names are mnemonics and may not have a one-to-one interpretation for each character; another offers a speculative explanation for choosing PX over PS. The document does not establish that this naming behavior applies to every Bloomberg field, so users should check individual field definitions when precision matters.
Key ideas
- PX is commonly used as a shorthand for price in Bloomberg field names.
- PX-prefixed fields are described as request-time values, while corresponding real-time fields can update during a subscription.
- PX_LAST and LAST_PRICE illustrate the distinction between snapshot and streaming data.
- The exact origin of the letters PX is not definitively established in the discussion.
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# What does the prefix PX stand for on a Bloomberg Terminal? # What does the prefix PX stand for on a Bloomberg Terminal? Regarding `PX_LAST`, `PX_VOLUME` etc... What does the "PX" prefix stand for? ## Answer by assylias (score 23) https://quant.stackexchange.com/a/8089 `PX` is often used as an abbreviation for price in Bloomberg. Fields prefixed with `PX` are generally static fields: the value is requested only once and is based on whatever information is available when you send that request. On the other hand, real time fields keep sending new data as it becomes evailable. As an example: `PX_LAST` is the last price as of when you request it and won't change afterwards, whereas `LAST_PRICE` is a real time last price which will keep updating if you subscribe to those changes. Other examples include `PX_BID` vs. `BID`, `PX_VOLUME` vs. `VOLUME` etc. ## Answer by James (score 8) https://quant.stackexchange.com/a/70294 Px is a French abviation of price (prix) and often used in financial markets, before bloomberg ever existed. ## Answer by IgorS (score 1) https://quant.stackexchange.com/a/8088 These are just Bloomberg mnemonic representations of data fields “Last Price”, “Volume” etc. ## Answer by Kris Stern (score -2) https://quant.stackexchange.com/a/57428 You probably won't be able to find a direct one-to-one mapping for what the individual `P` and `X` stands for, because the use of `PX` is to avoid the `PS` abbreviation, which appears like the more common "postscript" or similar words like "post", and this is by convention set at Bloomberg. Also, phonetically it makes more sense to use `PS` instead of `PX`, "coz" (pun intended) native speakers generally pronounce price more like "prize" than "prise" (note these are made-up words so may or may not correspond to the actual word).
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