Meet Your Python Playground

Welcome to Data Analytics & Python for Finance! This course is different from traditional tutorials - here, you'll learn by doing. Every lesson includes a live Python editor where you can write and run real code instantly.

Your First Look at the Playground

Below is your Python playground. It has two main parts:

• Editor (top): Where you write your Python code
• Output (bottom): Shows the results when you run your code

Try clicking "Run" or pressing Ctrl+Enter (Cmd+Enter on Mac) to execute the pre-filled code:

Why Python for Finance?

Python has become the dominant language in financial analysis for several reasons:

• Speed: Process millions of data points in seconds
• Automation: Run the same analysis on thousands of securities
• Powerful Libraries: NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib are industry standards
• Industry Adoption: Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, BlackRock all use Python
• Free: Unlike Bloomberg terminals, Python is completely open source

Quick Tips for the Playground

Before moving forward, here are some tips:

• Run code: Click the "Run" button or press Ctrl+Enter
• Reset: Click "Reset" to restore the original code
• Experiment: Don't be afraid to change the code and see what happens!
• Errors are OK: Making mistakes is how you learn

Try It Yourself

Let's practice! Modify the code below to calculate your own portfolio value:

When you're comfortable with the playground, continue to the next lesson where we'll dive into Python variables and data types!