Five anonymised historical charts were dealt to every player. The Monkey Index returned -1.00% across the same tape.
72 desks completed all five charts.
That calm-looking bank chart was sitting on a fault line. On 10 May 2012, JPMorgan disclosed the London Whale trading loss inside the unit meant to protect it, and the shares lost 11.5% across the hidden week as its reputation for tight risk control took the hit.
Howard Schultz had just returned for a third stint as chief executive, halted buybacks and promised to put money back into stores while a union drive gathered pace. Against that corporate reset and China lockdown pressure, the battered shares found a 4.5% five-day bounce.
In 2007, software still came in boxes and Salesforce was trying to prove that business applications belonged in the browser. The hidden week added 7.1%; viewed from today, the striking number is the 1,452.0% gain from that early cloud-computing bet.
By late 2023, Dollar General was dealing with excess stock, shrink and a squeezed low-income customer, and had brought former boss Todd Vasos back to steady the chain. The hidden five days delivered a 6.5% relief rally, not yet proof that its operational problems were fixed.
In spring 2021, AEP was trying to move one of America's largest utility fleets away from coal while keeping the grid and its dividend dependable. The hidden week finished almost exactly where it began, down 0.5%, a very utility-like pause after the reopening rally.