ALC - Q4

Here’s a paradoxically simple, yet complex question: How valuable is your company?

Markets have been off to a hot start to the year and are up over 11% through the end of April. In fact, this may be the best start to a presidential term since the days of Franklin D. Roosevelt after the Great Depression. Much of that has been driven by the optimism of a reopening economy, businesses bouncing back strongly, and earnings beating expectations. Earlier this month JPMorgan CEO, Jamie Dimon, noted in his annual letter that the U.S. economy will likely see a boom driven by excess savings, new stimulus measures, accommodative Fed Policy, a new infrastructure bill, and optimism around the end of the pandemic. All these factors build-up to what he called a potential Goldilocks economy moment with fast and sustained growth accompanied by gradually rising inflation and interest rates. As a result, all 11 sectors of the S&P 500 are in positive territory for the year with some of the more recently beat-up industries like Energy (+30%) and Financials (+22.7%) leading the way (as of 4/30).

Today, IROs have access to more information than ever before. So, when looking to create an IR program that is driven by data, it can be a challenge to consolidate, analyze, and utilize the vast amount of information that is available. However, with the right strategic approach, it is possible to efficiently aggregate data and insights into investor behavior to tell a complete story.

At the heart of any great investor relations program sits the data and analytics that help to both build a data-driven strategy, as well as analyze the success and performance of key business drivers. 

We’ve just come out of an earnings period like no other, and now Investor Relations Officers are now faced with a market that’s been completely disrupted by a global pandemic. Leveraging data will be critical to successfully maneuvering the market and continuing to deliver valuable insights to management.