The TRADE 63 - Q1 2020 | Page 24

[ T H O U G H T L E A D E R S H I P | R E F I N I T I V ] THE RISING VALUE OF DATA IN FINANCIAL MARKETS 1% 14% 45% 40% D ata in financial markets has never been more valuable. Refinitiv’s series of thought-leadership reports predicting the trading desk of the future continues by examining how data aggregation, data analytics and alternative data will shape workflows for buy-side and capital markets participants. • A Future of Trading report by Refinitiv and Greenwich Associates explores the value of data in financial markets, including how traders expect to use that data. • The largest data providers will act as the market’s de facto 24 // TheTRADE // Spring 2020 aggregators, meaning that cloud computing and easier access to data will be critical capabilities. • Alternative data will only be useful if traders trust the source, driving home the importance of investment, accuracy and speed. ‘New oil’ or ‘new gold’ are just some of the phrases used to describe the value of data in financial markets. And rightly so. Data fuels every aspect of the trading process. From the very beginning, trading has always been about information. Whoever has the best and the fastest information gains the edge. Michael Chin, Managing Director and Global Head of Trading Proposition at Refinitiv Today, traders are also challenged with managing the sheer amount of data in financial markets. The edge that traders gain now is all about who can consume and make sense of the data the fastest by leveraging technologies such as artificial intelligence.