Alt data makes it harder for execs to mislead investors
Economist (subscription)
Investors have long clamoured for insight into Tesla’s operations. Happily, with alternative data they no longer need to ask Mr. Musk how many cars he sells. The magazine expands on the article in its Intelligence podcast, touching on insurance, private jet tracking, job listings, and other non-traditional data. Read More
Nasdaq CEO says US needs clear data protection regulations
Business Insider (subscription)
Alt-data is booming, but concerns about privacy, nonpublic information, and other factors are giving some potential users pause. Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman says better regulation could benefit individuals looking to protect their data and provide guidance to firms trying to grasp what data they can use. Read More
Quandl sees non-quant funds piling into data
machineByte (subscription)
As investing becomes more data-driven, there is a Darwinian struggle to evolve or perish. While some discretionary managers are skeptical of data-driven investing, others are incorporating new data into their strategies with demonstrable success, says Quandl CDO Abraham Thomas. Read More
Trade Talks at Quandl Data Conference
Nasdaq Trade Talks
For those unable to attend last week’s Quandl Data Conference, Nasdaq Global Markets Reporter Jill Malandrino had brief and insightful sideline conversations with several of the industry’s top innovators including:
- Quandl CDO Abraham Thomas on Quandl’s vision for alternative data
- Thasos’ John Collins on the growing case for location data
- Orbital Insight’s James Crawford on how analysts use geospatial analytics
- Nasdaq’s Oliver Albers on the exchange’s vision for alternative data
- Aaron Yoon of Kellogg School of Management on the materiality of ESG investments
Here are the data brokers buying and selling your personal information
Thanks to a new Vermont law requiring companies that buy and sell third-party personal data to register with the state, Fast Company has been able to assemble a list of 121 data brokers operating in the US. Read More
On sector-based research, machine learning, and economic slowdown
Seeking Alpha
Alternative data is improving quant strategies, particularly for sector-based work. Meanwhile, more traditional ways of analyzing data – like trading metrics such as price and volume – have become a less reliable form of seeking alpha. Read More
The golden age of the quant is now
Traders Magazine
In a counterpoint to last week’s “The age of the quant is coming to an end,” the author argues that new technology and the explosion of alternative data mean that demand for skills in modeling, predictive analytics, machine learning, and more, is growing. And so is demand for high-skilled quants. Read More
What alt data might be telling us about Trump, Venezuela, Cuba, and Marco Rubio
Towards Data Science
In this long and personal essay, data scientist and former quant Luis Miguel Sánchez looks at what online postings and petitions can tell us about the crisis in Venezuela. Read More