Alternative data provides measurable and sustainable investing edge

Greenwich Associates

Alternative data has been around for at least a decade, but increased adoption has made it less “alternative” and a more essential part of portfolio construction. The latest Greenwich Associates survey reviews alt-data trends. Read More

Long-only investors increasingly look to alternative data

Profit & Loss

Among the findings of the above-mentioned Greenwich Associates survey, traditional long-only investors say they are joining quantitative early-adopters in using alternative data to achieve alpha. Read More

Human factor is crucial to the alt-data gold rush

Waters Technology (subscription)

While technology advancements are being made, buy-side firms still rely on humans to make sense of alt data. Read More

Computer models won’t beat stock market any time soon

Bloomberg Businessweek

We expect a lot from machines: Spotify picks your songs, your phone recognizes your face and self-driving cars may be just around the corner. Yet, there’s something you’ll likely never have access to: a computerized stockpicker that outsmarts the market. Read More

Stick to core skills or risk data overload, says Goldman quant

Risk.net (subscription)

Explosive growth in alt data, machine learning, and cheaper computing promise to help generate alpha. But asset managers must get picky about how they handle new types of data or they risk being overwhelmed, says a quant tasked with selling Goldman’s internal data. Read More

Buyside, FISD, begin industry push for alt data standards

Waters Technology

In response to firms struggling with the data science aspects of integrating alternative data, some industry participants and the Financial Services Information Association (FISD) are pursuing new initiatives to make it more accessible. Read More

Show me the data: investors demand better ESG disclosure

Opalesque (subscription)

The value of environmental, social and governance (ESG) data is well understood, but for it to be useful, it must be specific, reliable and consistently provided. For the most part, disclosure has been limited and voluntary. Read More

Nextgov

Lawmakers propose $2.2 billion to advance AI

A bipartisan trio of senators want to pour billions of dollars into expanding the use of artificial intelligence across government and industry, and preparing the country’s workforce to use the tech. Read More

Bloomberg (subscription)

Analysts make research cooler, wonkier and bespoke to lure cash

As the industry wrestles with MiFID II, asset managers are trying to win clients through podcasts, novella-length thematic analyses, and proprietary data. Three topics are particularly hot: ESG, renewable energy, and alternative data. Read More