I have a choice of using Bloomberg costing me X or using Reuters for free. I like Bloomberg but have no experience with Reuters. Would highly appreciate input from people familiar with Reuters and Bloomberg. I am especially interested in Reuters' capabilities regarding Excel interface.What I need it for is1) General market information - rates, fx quotes etc2) Time series (FX, rates etc.) build an Ecxel sheet with e.g. 2 years data updated automatically without changing the sheet3) Have an workbook mainly for IRS/rate opiton pricing and structuring, but also FX structuring (only to be able to get ball park figures). I want to be able to get e.g. Euribor 3m forward curve without having to bootsrap it from FRAs, futures, swaps etc.Anything else I would have to consider if switching from Bloomberg to Reuters? My only impression of Reuters is that finding instruments, tickers etc is quite difficult.Thanks in advance...

Hi,I used Reuters 3000 Xtra and following a half day training course, I was able to use it and get the needed information. It is normal that when you start a new software, it seems difficult to find information but following my experience, you will be "used to" it quickly. There is a very good training web page. It is not that difficult to find instruments, tickers...I find also the Excel interface very good.F.

Reuters comes with PowerPlusPro which is an Excel Addin. It has all functions you need to manipulate data financial data in Excel spreadsheets. You can download realtime tickers, snap data at prespecified time with a given frequency, download time series or chains of instruments (e.g. options, futures, index members chains). You have some basic financial functions - interpolations, discount factors, BS, GK, DT and HW models, calendars, swap points to depo rates etc.M.

I've used both for many years. Bloomberg is more of a full-feature black box with somewhat antiquated architecture and programming behind it and a relatively cryptic API. Reuters is more modern and flexible in design and thus probably more amenable to the builder type of person.

Thanks for info. Will have Reuters up and running tomorrow...

So Refinitiv (formerly Thomson Reuters) is retiring Eikon, replacing it with Workspace.
I noticed that Workspace takes about x5 memory and a lot more CPU usage than the BBG Terminal (limiting both to minimum number of windows / default config).
I'm wondering how this could be.

and several of the base functionality, especially in bonds, seems to be broken...

Two, probably irrelevant, observations. I’m currently using Bloomberg Anywhere on a Mac for the first time, since I’m running it directly on my home machine rather than via some work VDI under Windows. The basic functionality is fine, but to acquire data via the Excel add-in you are limited to a severely stripped down version of Excel running on their server. Not good at all! My experience with Reuters is largely limited to parsing Telerate page 19901 (acquired a few years later by Reuters). That should stir a faint memory in one or two people around here…