Five anonymised historical charts were dealt to every player. The Monkey Index returned -0.16% across the same tape.
83 desks completed all five charts.
Lehman had just collapsed and cyclical industrials were being dumped on fears that global manufacturing was grinding to a halt. This was the week the brutal slide finally caught its breath.
Fears of a double-dip recession had kept semiconductor suppliers unloved all summer, but the smartphone boom was suddenly forcing factories into a fresh spending cycle. The autumn rally held its ground.
Vaccines were rolling out but investors were still wary of empty shopfronts and battered commercial landlords. As the post-lockdown reopening trade gathered pace, the buyers stepped right back in.
Fresh out of the credit crisis, investors were wary of anything tied to the financial sector, even the conservative insurers that had survived the crash unscathed. The shares simply held their ground as the slow recovery found its feet.
Deep in the fallout of the financial crisis, cash-strapped consumers trading down had turned budget fast food into Wall Street's favourite defensive trade. Even with the wider market trying to mount a recovery, the buyers never flinched.