Episode 161: Bloomberg's Gerard Francis on Alternative Data

This week, Gerard Francis, global head of enterprise data at Bloomberg, re-joins the podcast to discuss the alternative data space. 1:45 Why did the company launch the data website Bloomberg Enterprise Access Point? 3:45 Is there room for consolidation in the alt data space, or is the universe only going to continue to grow? 8:00 What types of alternative data have the most room for growth, and how are firms incorporating these datasets? 12:00 Is geolocation becoming more commoditized? How can it be blended with other forms of alt data? 13:00 How do you go about validating an alt data provider? 16:00 What are some of the challenges when it comes to using environmental, social and governance data and where is there room for improvement in regards to standardization and reporting requirements? 18:30 Will sell-side firms ever be able to monetize their internal data? 20:00 How is Bloomberg evolving as a data provider? 22:30 What does the company’s product roadmap look like for 2019?