Five anonymised historical charts were dealt to every player. The Monkey Index returned -0.01% across the same tape.
116 desks completed all five charts.
Rising interest rates were hammering high-flying tech valuations as the post-lockdown ad boom began to cool. Traders braced for a breakdown, but the stock held its ground with a modest 1.1% dip over the next five trading days.
In the summer of 2005, discount retail was the classic defensive play for a market seeking steady consumer spending. Walmart delivered right on cue, tacking on another +1.5% over the next five trading days.
The first COVID vaccines were rolling out worldwide, but investors were ignoring steady drugmakers in favour of flashy reopening stocks. Bristol-Myers Squibb quietly snapped its slump over the next five days, gaining 1.0%.
Robotic surgery was rapidly cementing its place in modern operating theatres, but the market paused for breath here. The shares edged up a quiet 0.8% over the next five trading days.
With the post-crisis economic recovery dragging and patent fears hanging over big pharma, investors were treating defensive drugmakers as stagnant safe havens. This is where the drift stopped, with the shares picking up 1.7% over the next five days.