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The alternative advantage of data

Oct 8, 2018
5 min

The alternative advantage of data

Making money in the share markets has always been geared around information and who can use it to their advantage. In the early years, well before the advent of computers and phones, there would be those who would purposely spread negative information about certain stocks and position themselves to take advantage of the inevitable fall in prices. In modern times (and more legally), gaining an informational edge has involved hiring the smartest statisticians (quants & data sci

Dear diary... of an analytics junkie

Sep 13, 2018
2 min

Dear diary... of an analytics junkie

It can be interesting to see what you were thinking about a few years ago and whilst looking for something in my historic work emails (almost like reading an old diary) I stumbled across this gem. No email addresses other than my old company's are shown so I'll leave it for those who know me to try and figure out who Stuart and Andrew are. Whilst many parts of this email are interesting (I was really into Gary Vaynerchuk videos back then) the key is the section I highlighted.

Analytics Evangelism - Week 2

Aug 23, 2018
4 min

Analytics Evangelism - Week 2

It’s nearly the end of week 2 of the my new/old data analytics role and I’ve enjoyed seeing old colleagues and discussing analytics with various organisations not just in the heart of the city but also in other areas around Sydney. I call it new/old because I've gone back to the company where I started on my data analytics path and in the city where I grew up. Week 1 was all about getting to meet the new team and see what's been going on in Sydney (basically work acclimatisin

Databilities - the data literacy framework

Aug 19, 2018
2 min

Databilities - the data literacy framework

As I rounded out the first week into my new job back home in Sydney, Australia I could see even more clearly that I need to do more to advocate the ways in which data analytics can positively transform businesses and their workers. My first-hand observations have shown me that whilst businesses have made some inroads into implementing better data usage, there is still a gap in the data literacy of the workforce. I mentioned this in my previous blog post ‘The first step toward

Getting started with data analytics can be easier than you think

Jul 22, 2018
6 min

Getting started with data analytics can be easier than you think

Over the last few years I've come across many organisations and people who wish they could be doing more with their data or at least take their very first steps into the world of data analytics. These are often unfulfilled wishes because, for the most part, many do not know how to get started. Often times these places and people will think that to get started you need to bring in consultants which can be expensive or get your people onto expensive training courses. Both of th

Fool me, once shame on you...fool me twice, I should have Googled

Jul 3, 2018
4 min

Fool me, once shame on you...fool me twice, I should have Googled

Not often do we get to utilise skills learnt in the workplace in our everyday lives but I've been lucky to have that with analytics. More specifically, working in analytics has given me the ability to detect the smell of bullshit that exists in online news stories, comments and other claims we are exposed to. However, one doesn't need a statistics degree or to be working in finance to do this type of stuff themselves. Before I continue I should mention that this is not a post

Overworked and under-slept - my life the last 4 years...

Jun 30, 2018
4 min

Overworked and under-slept - my life the last 4 years...

Hi all, so I often get asked questions about what I do and it's never been easy to explain. I'm still learning how to explain it well to be honest. I've really got 2 key facets to the role I've been in over these last 4 years with one focusing on financial research skills I've picked up and the other allowing me to deploy my data analytics repertoire. In any, case I did see my work as being very objective and data driven so what better way to showcase what I do than to list o

Comparing athletes across eras - an exercise in futility

Jun 28, 2018
4 min

Comparing athletes across eras - an exercise in futility

Often in sports commentating (professional and amateur) the topic of cross era comparisons comes up. Either over beers at the pub or online, the arguments can be fun or even heated (my eras best player is better than yours, yada yada yada). There are, however, hardly ever any winners in discussions like these. Both sides of the proverbial equation tend to stick to their guns, both sides have statistics to back their arguments (although cherry picking these can be rife) and bo