This assignment is purely meant to show you the different ways of searching in Wharton. Not to show you each separate database.

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "This assignment is purely meant to show you the different ways of searching in Wharton. Not to show you each separate database."

Chad Stone
6 years ago
Views:

1 Various searches in Wharton WRDS. Preface: the nice thing about a website like Wharton WRDS is that it combines multiple financial databases into one search interface. Once you have figured out the interface you will be able to search through the entire Wharton website. Great thing is also that you can use it from home and that it can generate files for Stata etc. This assignment is purely meant to show you the different ways of searching in Wharton. Not to show you each separate database. Search steps in Wharton WRDS Step 1 = Period of time Step 2 = Company selection Step 3 = Output variables Step 4 = Output format Step 5 = Submit Log on to Wharton WRDS Go to and open the three Word files. Save them on your desktop as a.txt file. Wharton only works with identifiers in.txt files. Example I Compustat North America with code lookup Click Compustat First read the information about the contents of Compustat North America and Compustat Global to get an idea of what it contains. Click Compustat Monthly Updates North America Click fundamentals annual And fill out the screen as follows Step 1: Jan 2006 to Dec 2013 Step 2: in this example we use the code lookup to search our needed companies Click code lookup Search for: Google Select the row of the company

Select identifier Ticker and Add code to list Now search a second company: Apple Select the one with ticker AAPL and Add code to list Now search a third company: Facebook And add it to your list Now

2 Select identifier Ticker and Add code to list Now search a second company: Apple Select the one with ticker AAPL and Add code to list Now search a third company: Facebook And add it to your list Now you have a list of three companies that you can add to your search by clicking: Add codes to query Step 3: Compustat contains a huge amount of annual financial variables. An easy way to search through the hundreds of variables is using CTRL F. First select some identifying information as Company name, Ticker and SIC industry classification Now press CTRL F and search for Assets, keep pressing next until you come to AT Assets total and select this one. Now search with CTRL F for Sales and keep pressing next until you can select SALE Sales / Turnover (net). The last one you search is Employees. Step 4: Select Excel spreadsheet Now your query is being processed in the Wharton database. Once the results are finished you can click a link to open or save an Excel file.

3 Example II Compustat Global with conditional statement Go back to Wharton WRDS home Now Click Compustat and click Global Click Fundamentals annual Step 1: Jan 2006 to Dec 2013 Step 2: Now we are going to search a number of companies that have a certain shared characteristic. Like all companies in one country or all companies in one industry etc. Select Search entire database At Screening variables you see Industry format INDL and FS. Here you can include or exclude financial companies in your search. In this case include them and select both INDL and FS. At Country code in this case select BRA for Brazil Step 3: select 3 variables of your own choice by using CTRL F and Company name of course Step 4: choose Excel

4 Example III Compustat Global with.txt list A third option to select your companies in Wharton WRDS is uploading a list with company identifiers. Not all databases in Wharton use the same identifiers so have a good look which identifier to upload in a particular database. Ticker? CUSIP? ISIN? Etc. Go to Wharton WRDS Home and click Compustat, Global, Fundamentals Quarterly Step 1: Jan 2008 to dec 2013 Step 2: Previously you have to prepare a.txt file in Notepad with identifiers that you got from Datastream, Thomson One, the internet, etc. Click Upload a file containing company codes and upload the text file called GB And select ISIN at What format are your company codes? Step 3: Select company name and select Total Assets and Total Liabilities Step 4: select Excel Example IV Compustat Global, stock prices Go to Wharton WRDS Home Click Compustat, Global Click Security daily Step 1: 01/01/2013 to 12/31/2013 Step 2: Select ISIN and upload the file FR Step 3: Select Company name, Shares outstanding and Price close daily Step 4: Choose Excel

Example V Stock data in CRSP Go to Wharton WRDS Home Click CRSP and read the background information about the CRSP US Stock Database to get an idea of its contents.

5 Example V Stock data in CRSP Go to Wharton WRDS Home Click CRSP and read the background information about the CRSP US Stock Database to get an idea of its contents. There is an annual update of the dataset and a quarterly update. The quarterly update gives more recent data, because it is updated more frequently. Select: Quarterly Update Stock / Security Files Select: Daily stock file Step 1: 01/01/2014 to 12/31/2014 Step 2: Select Ticker and upload the file MMM (this contains all ticker symbols of S&P500 companies) Step 3: Select CUSIP, NCUSIP, Ticker and Company name. As variables select Price, Share volume and Number of shares outstanding Step 4: Choose Excel *** Lost in Wharton WRDS? Use the search function

First, go to and click on the Register button.

First, go to and click on the Register button. Finance Data Wharton Research Data Services 1. Introduction The Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) is a research platform provided by the University of Pennsylvania. It is very simple in its use but