In the August edition of Neudata’s Tidbits for Data Providers, we talk about how regulators are approaching the IHS Markit-S&P Global merger and explore consumer attitudes as the Delta variant of COVID-19 spreads rapidly.

IHS-S&P DEAL
This month, the US$ 44bn IHS Markit-S&P Global merger moved one step closer to reality when News Corp announced it will buy three commodity pricing data businesses from IHS, a condition from regulators overseeing the deal. Data buyers have already expressed some concerns about the merger, noting it may give S&P greater power to set the price of reference data in the market. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation to see whether the acquisition would hurt competition – the first phase of the decision will be made on 19 October.

ALTERNATIVE DATA IN CHINA
Man Group published a piece that details the growth of alternative data in China. It also explains why it’s necessary to use local proxies instead of more established global alternative data providers. The piece features some data from Neudata on the size of the market and number of China-specific datasets for sale.

WHAT’S NEW IN DATA PROVIDER NEWS?
Vendors are exploring consumer attitudes and confidence towards lifestyle and retail sectors in response to more concerns about the Delta variant. Studies have found that when initial lockdowns were relaxed, consumers gradually resumed their previous activities and have continued to increase the speed of their return to normal. However, many individuals are still saving spare cash.

Travel is one of the main industries that was impacted by the variant, with airline spending down by 22% and cruise line spend declining by 67% year-over-year from 2019. The cautious approach toward holiday spending reveals that many consumers are reconsidering how they spend their money on non-essential goods and services.

PEOPLE MOVES
Make sure you check out our people moves section, which recaps the latest job moves in the alternative data industry. If you want us to recap your new job or latest promotion, get in touch with Sondra at sondra@neudata.co.

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5 Aug: OpenCorporates, Toluna, TP ICAP and more

12 Aug: Placer.ai, Crux, Apptopia and more

19 Aug: IQI, Otonomo, Owlin and more

26 Aug: RIWI, Yewno Finance, Second Measure and more

Until next time,

Saima & Sondra