Bloomberg vs Barron’s (Complete Guide)

We previously opined the differences between the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times and Bloomberg.

While we have been avid readers of those three famous and most sought-after publications, we have not looked at Barron’s in detail. We have also covered our analysis of the Economist and similar weekly magazines.

We will cover the ground by comparing Barron’s in this post and put it against Bloomberg. The goal is to give you a good handle on how both publications compare and which one hopefully suits your needs better! Read on!

Key Points

1. Barron’s is a weekly magazine/newspaper published by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corp, founded in 1921 by Clarence W. Barron.
2. It covers U.S. financial information, relevant market events, and economic statistics.
3. Each weekly issue provides a detailed summary of the previous week’s market developments, important news, reports, and an outlook on the coming week.
4. Barron’s also publishes the Best Online Brokers ranking, which ranks the top online trading brokerage firms, and the Top Financial Advisors ranking, which ranks America’s top financial advisory firms.
5. A Barron’s subscription costs $19.99 per month for the digital subscription or $12 per month for the print and digital bundle. There is a discounted $8 a month option for the first year, and you can cancel anytime.
6. Bloomberg is a famous financial news and information website covering the most relevant business and financial market news items. It’s mostly known for its financial market data and analysis rather than news.
7. Unlike Barron’s, Bloomberg’s pricing currently offers a discounted $1.99 per month for the first three months.

What is Barron’s?

Barron’s is an American weekly magazine published by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corp. Founded in 1921 by Clarence W. Barron, it mainly tracks US financial market developments and most important statistics.

Each of their weekly issues summarizes the previous week’s relevant market reaction, most important news items, reports, and an outlook on the coming week. Features in the publication include the Market Week feature, which covers the previous week’s market activity, and the Barron’s Roundtable, which posts from noted investors such as Bill Gross and Mario Gabelli.

Barron’s also publishes the Best Online Brokers ranking, which ranks the top online trading brokerage firms, and the Top Financial Advisors ranking, which ranks America’s top financial advisory firms.

Is a Barron’s subscription worth it?

This, as always, really depends on your personal taste and preferences.

Ask yourself this: Do I need to be updated daily or weekly about what financial markets are doing? What do I value most when reading articles? Do I want to take charge of my own financial questions, etc? Do I want a digital or physical subscription?

Let’s look at the pricing. Instead of paying $19.99, there is a discounted rate of 8$ per month for the first year only. This is for the digital subscription only. The digital bundle, which includes the sister publication, the famous Wall Street Journal, and MarketWatch, currently costs a discounted $10 per month instead of $49.99, which is quite a big difference. The lower price, however, is for the first year only.

The print and digital bundle give you daily access to their website in addition to postal delivery to your home address every Saturday. This currently comes as an introductory offer of $12 per month for 12 weeks or 3 months. You can also choose a 6 or 12-month subscri[tipon, which is currently at a 50% discount and costs $14.99 a month. 

Barron’s offers a good deal for anyone interested in financial markets and economics. The trial option gives you a relatively low-cost entry to getting to know the site better for a few months, especially as it comes with the option to cancel the subscription at any time. That seems like a very good deal to us. 

Is Barron’s and WSJ the same?

No, Barron’s and the Wall Street Journal are two independent financial newspapers, meaning they have separate dedicated editorial members and management. However, they both belong to the same company, Dow Jones & Company, Inc, an American publishing firm owned by News Corp. 

Barron’s is a weekly newspaper, while the Wall Street Journal is published daily. Barron’s estimates an average paid circulation of 920,000, while the WSJ has 3.6 million subscribers.

Is MarketWatch included with Barrons?

MarketWatch is a popular website that provides financial information, business news, analysis, and stock market data. Like The Wall Street Journal and Barron’s, it is a subsidiary of Dow Jones & Company, which Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp owns.

MarketWatch is only included in Barron’s digital bundle, including the Wall Street Journal. The bundle costs $10 per month for one year, which is heavily discounted from its usual $49.99 price tag. 

What is the difference between Bloomberg and Barron’s?

Bloomberg is a famous financial news website covering relevant business and financial market news. It is mainly known for its detailed financial market data and analysis rather than news. Most people in the financial industry are familiar with the Bloomberg terminal, which costs $24,000 per year.

Bloomberg has entered the financial, business, and economic news arena with access to the masses only over the past few years. Bloomberg Businessweek includes in-depth insights from industry leaders.

Unlike Barron’s, Bloomberg’s pricing currently offers a discounted $1.99 per month for the first 3 months. This is quite a discount from the normal price of $39.99 monthly or $290 for the full annual subscription. 

Regarding general newsflow and analysis, both Blomberg and Barron’s perfectly cover the ground. They have highly skilled experts opining on various economic and political issues. We like Bloomberg’s TV and radio option, which is a convenient input in the background if you are working from home or traveling. If one wants to get acquainted, it would almost make sense to have both subscriptions for a month just to familiarize yourself and then pick one. 

What does Barron’s cover?

Barron’s covers a wide range of topics related to business and finance. These include investing, stock market analysis, company profiles, economic commentary, and more.

The website alone reveals quite a wide array of detail and different topics. For a private investor, there are detailed sections on personal finance, income investing and retirement. For the more versed professional investor, topics from sustainable finance to Barron’s stock picks and Crypto should give enough insight to form an opinion. 

If you are after choosing a broker or financial adviser, their handy lists, which get updated annually, should be a helping hand. 

Conclusion

As usual, comparing two really good options is a tough ask. We analyzed the pricing and features of both financial news sites. Given the relatively low cost, we advise you to start a trial with either Barron’s or Bloomberg or even go for both if you want to choose the best option for yourself. 

Both will keep you posted about world financial news and help give you good expert analysis on essential events. However, some of the more niche sections the two papers cover could be hitting your interested eye more than the other. We would highly recommend having a look and seeing what is out there.

Hope we have helped you in choosing!