Using geo-location data that was tied to anonymous credit card information, Point 72 discovered that when customers went to entertainment venue Topgolf that spending at a nearby Dave and Busters suffered. This helped Point 72 add to its conviction to short Dave and Busters in August, a position it has now covered. Dave and Busters shares fell about 5% in the first half of August, but have since recovered. 

The trade exemplifies how hedge funds continue to use alternative data for Wall Street wagers. Point 72 continues to spend heavily on these types of data sets, in conjunction with quants, to improve their trading.

In January, the company took a "deep dive" into social sentiment surrounding dieting. It also looked at online search and credit card transaction data to round out a picture of Weight Watchers as a potential short.