Commodities broker and research house Marex Spectron is planning to add satellite analysis from ‘New Space’ technology provider Earth-i to its quantitative research.
The partnership will see Earth-i work alongside Marex Spectron’s market analytics division, led by Dr Guy Wolf, to combine satellite imagery and video analytics with the broker’s datasets. Both firms said the joint venture will initially focus on the copper market.
“Traders today are overwhelmed with data and information, so the challenge is how to filter and convert that into something relevant,” said Wolf, who is global head of market analytics at Marex Spectron.
“Earth-i has access to a unique set of images and their expertise in image recognition technology makes them an ideal partner. The benefit of being able to provide real-time comparisons of the analysis from both the physical and derivative world is huge.”
Earth-i claims it is at the forefront of the ‘New Space’ era which is driven by organisations looking to use high-quality images and video from space to improve investment and trading decisions.
The use of satellite imagery allows traders to track changes or activities in major locations and predict future events with more certainty, whilst monitoring assets cost effectively, both firms said.
“Location-based data from space is the new frontier in big data analytics,” added John Linwood, CTO at Earth-i. “Combining our technology and expertise with Marex Spectron’s data and deep knowledge of the metals markets provides an outstanding opportunity to develop a truly unique, market-leading product.”