This week we begin with an article about exchange operators across the globe venturing into financial and analytics through acquisitions of analytics firms. Next is a piece on the need for access to open data sources by medical regulators for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. The following article is about the hack and sale of 85,000 MySQL databases, on the dark web. Next, we have a piece on financial sponsors and private equity, realizing the importance of alternative data and leveraging it for investments. To end, we cover the use of data and deep learning to determine supply chain disruptions and predict the shifts in consumer behavior during the pandemic.
How Exchange Operators Have Grown Bigger And Bigger
After a year in which a handful of companies have tightened their grip on the trading infrastructure and financial data that underpin financial markets, al eyes will turn to Brussels next month. EU competition regulators have until January 21 to approve London Stocks Exchange’s $27bn acquisition of data and trading group Refinitiv, a blockbuster takeover first agreed in August 2019 and one that authorities opened an in-depth investigation into in June.
COVID Vaccines: The World’s Medical Regulators Need Access To Open Data
The roll out of COVID-19 vaccines is under way, but without, it seems, much global coordination. China, Russia and the United Arab Emirates began administering vaccines before the conclusion of clinical trials. Last week, the United kingdom issued emergency approval for a vaccine developed by the US biopharmaceutical company Pfizer and BioNTech of Mainz, Germany, following positive results from phase III testing. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has needed longer to make its decision on the same vaccine. And the regulatory agencies of Australia, the European Union and Switzerland are taking longer still.
Hackers Are Selling More Than 85,000 MySQL Databases On A Dark Web Portal
More than 85,000 MySQL databases are currently on sale on a dark web portal for a price of only $550/database. The portal, brought to ZDNet‘s attention earlier today by a security researcher, is part of a database ransom scheme that has been going on since the start of 2020. Hackers have been breaking into MySQL databases, downloading tables, deleting the originals, and leaving ransom notes behind, telling server owners to contact the attackers to get their data back.
Alternatives Investors (Finally) Discover Alternative Data
When it comes to the use of alternative data in finance, private equity has traditionally been a laggard, at least compared to hedge funds and more recently the lending community. As financial sponsors get their arms around how to leverage this informational edge, many are moving quickly to get up to speed. The spectrum of alternative data sources ranges from satellite imagery and logistics data to social media trends and, of course, consumer spending, in addition to other categories. Generally, the use cases in private equity revolve around three core functions: thesis evaluation, due diligence, and portfolio management.
Bringing data back to the future: Forecasting supply chains with savvy data usage, deep learning, and more
Global commerce relies on an intricate web of interconnected supply chains. These physical and virtual pathways are susceptible to the sway of multitudinous factors ranging from meteorological conditions to seasonal spending fluctuations. While predictive forecasting models help maintain homeostasis in these networks, unforeseen events can wreak havoc on these interconnected matrices. In recent months, the coronavirus pandemic has shone a light on vulnerabilities in global supply chains.
Source: https://mailchi.mp/zigram/data-asset-weekly-dispatch_14_december_1
