Alternative Data Gives Asset Managers Investing Edge

Some 71% of asset managers believe alternative data gives them an investing edge over competitors, according to a study by Greenwich Associates commissioned by IHS Markit. Around half of investment managers are using alternative data with another quarter planning to do so in the next 12 months, according to the research. Nearly 30% of quantitative funds attribute at least 20% of their alpha to alternative data, while 42% of asset managers believe the alpha edge they achieve using alternative data lasts at least four years. For practitioners, the tools to analyse the data are as important as the data.