Market Data Research

There is an incredible amount of financial news and data out there, just waiting to be sourced, collated and accessed by the movers and shakers of business and finance at the click of a button, a tap or a swish. Thousands of bankers, financial advisers, accountants, consultants and strategists rely on information solutions to keep their commercial awareness in peak condition every day! But who gets this information to these guys? This is where Market Data Research comes in…

What’s market data research about?

There are information solutions companies out there, like Bloomsberg for example, that drive transactions, mergers and acquisitions forward with the information they provide to their clients. They support subscribers (banks, financial institutions and businesses across the world) with breaking financial news coverage and data newsfeeds.

In market data research it’s essential to have the finger on the pulse of any developments or changes within clients’ specified interests and to keep them up-to-date with this as it happens. Subscribers want accurate current and historical data and analysis on things like pricing for assets, industries and various different markets (i.e. equities, mutual funds, derivatives etc.). It’s channelled through different technologies to ensure the quickest and most effective delivery.

What’s on offer jobs wise?

If you get into this particular industry, you could work as a global data analyst. Global data analysts often specialise in one market, sourcing information and news on their specialist area, constantly updating this information on the databases, and answering client queries. It’s a mixture of journalistic skills along with a strong head for statistics and data interpretation.

There are also many more technical engineering roles available concerned with developing, maintaining and protecting the information systems used to get the information across to clients. A technical degree is a must for this option.

Progression and travel opportunities

Once you’ve got a few years of experience as an analyst under your belt, you could progress to senior analyst or data scientist status, specialising the using predictive models as part of research to provide analysis for subscribers.

Market data research is also one for the linguists out there! Financial information providers cry out for people who can open up global market and industry stories and data with their linguistic skills.  This means that there are potential opportunities in offices across the globe.

Get your work experience in now!

It’s just as important to have an understanding of the financial markets in this field as in any other in finance. That means entry requirements for graduate programmes will often be a finance or business related degree, though if you can show you have relevant work experience then this could get you through the door too as a non-business graduate.

You could gain an insight and contacts (and even a permanent job!) via an internship – and considering the competition and importance of being able to show you are clued up on financial markets, it’s a good idea to look into an internship as soon as you can!