We discuss the key regulatory issues concerning the collection, processing and usage of geolocation data. Starting with the definition of geolocation data as ‘personal data’, we draw attention to several cautionary tales of data misappropriation or privacy leakage, before discussing best practices according to GDPR, as well as the logistical and legal challenges associated with data anonymization. We also draw attention to several future policy developments that should be on the radar of any informed user of geolocation data.

In this report we argue why paying attention to company diversity can yield value to investors. In short, we provide evidence that suggests 1) board and managerial diversity has a positive correlation to financial performance, 2) increasing regulatory requirements on diversity disclosures is set to drive the growth of diversity-based financial products, and 3) this will likely impact company valuations, as well as the ability for certain companies to raise capital.

We explore the idea that companies with higher levels of customer satisfaction generate superior returns at lower systematic risk based on two research studies, one of which analyses the relationship between customer satisfaction and stock market returns over a 15-year period. We highlight key findings, illustrating the stock-specific use cases for customer satisfaction data. We also highlight a number of alternative data providers who offer measures of customer satisfaction.

We discuss the Skyscraper Index - the principle that the world’s tallest buildings are often completed on or around the precipice of economic downturns, making it a useful leading macroeconomic indicator. We also examine whether there is any merit to construction activity data, in general, being an indicator of economic growth, whilst highlighting a few relevant alternative data sources for readers interested in incorporating such data into their decision-making processes.

In the first part of this series, we introduced the ways in which location information (ideally coordinate-based) is generated and subsequently made available to third parties. In the second part, we provide an overview of the technologies and challenges associated with contextualizing raw location data.

We discuss whether art auction prices (and in particular Sotheby’s stock price) is indicative of global overconfidence, or whether such data points add little, if any, value to macro investors. We also identify four relevant alternative data sources that can be leveraged by readers interested in incorporating such data into their decision-making processes.

We outline how hospital purchase order data can be used by investors to track medical device companies using three case studies provided by a Neudata-listed alternative data provider. Specifically, we look at how purchase order data could provide value for investors across three medical device companies: Penumbra (PEN), Intersect ENT (XENT), and Zimmer Biomet (ZBH). We also share our views on the comparative advantages and disadvantages of different providers offering this type of data.

Inflation in Argentina reached 31% in July of this year, having a devastating impact on the peso and leading the central bank to raise rates to a record 60%. Can alternative data sources provide economic insights into a country’s level of price stability, currency value and central bank sentiment? In the second of our two-part series, we evaluate such sources by listing examples of providers that offer more timely data or predictive analytics in unemployment, wages, inflation, interest rates, the real estate market, industrial activity and GDP.

Although it is nearly impossible to identify every factor that influences the price of a globally traded commodity, it is no secret that overall supply and demand plays a pivotal role in the matter. We highlight key findings from a Neudata-listed alternative data provider’s whitepaper that discusses whether metal production estimates lead CME Group copper futures prices.

In the first of a two-part series, we provide our take on the state of the alternative data industry from a macro perspective. Via three crude examples concerning Brexit, Sub-Saharan Africa and China, we also flag the basics of how alternative data can often trump conventional methods in order to obtain more timely and accurate investment intelligence.