FactSet
Bloomberg's rival for pulling market data straight into your model
What it is
About FactSet
FactSet aggregates financial data, company fundamentals, ownership data and estimates into a single platform, with strong Excel integration that makes it popular for building financial models directly from live data. It competes closely with Bloomberg Terminal and LSEG Workspace, and is particularly favoured for its screening tools and portfolio analytics used in equity research and asset management. Many banks license both Bloomberg and FactSet, using each for different strengths.
What you can do with it
Capabilities
Pull live financial data directly into Excel models via the FactSet add-in
Screen companies by financial and ownership criteria
Build comparable company analyses and track consensus estimates
Analyse portfolio risk and performance attribution
Research ownership structures and M&A activity
How to learn it
Learning Resources
Complete FactSet's certification programmes offered through university partnerships
Follow on-platform guided tutorials and FactSet University resources
Use university finance societies and careers labs with FactSet access
Replicate a comparable company analysis using FactSet's Excel plug-in
Pro Tip
FactSet's Excel add-in is its real advantage over Bloomberg for modelling — learn the formula syntax early so your comps update live instead of requiring manual refreshes.
Skills that use this tool
Roles that use this tool