Quants and consumer transaction data are still a significant part of the market, but our survey results show much greater diversity, with a broad range of spending and subscription habits.

RESPONDENTS

We contacted respondents during June and July and received a total of 157 complete responses.

Quants represented the biggest share of data buyers responding to our survey, followed by discretionary, credit and macro funds. Not far behind these larger groups were private equity and venture capital firms. In total, we received responses from 60 buyers, who spend a total of around $100m a year on data.

On the other side, we heard from 97 data providers. Regarding the types of investors they sell to, most say they cater to quantitative (82%) and multi-strategy (66%) firms, followed by macro (44%) and discretionary (41%). Roughly a quarter said they sell to private equity and venture capital firms. We estimate the total annual revenue of the data providers at roughly $660m.

In terms of geography, we received responses from alternative data professionals around the world, with about half of professionals being from North America, a quarter from Europe, and another quarter from Asia. 

Budget optimism

Most investors responding to our survey seemed optimistic about their alternative data budget for the coming year, with the vast majority...