Five anonymised historical charts were dealt to every player. The Monkey Index returned -0.10% across the same tape.
86 desks completed all five charts.
Energy was the only trade working in a bruising 2022 market, supercharged by Warren Buffett aggressively buying up shares. Even with Berkshire behind the bid, the rally paused for breath here.
A post-election jump in bond yields had knocked defensive dividend plays, but money was already rotating back into energy infrastructure. The quiet grind higher simply carried on.
The memory industry was still working through a punishing post-pandemic glut, but the scramble for AI hardware had begun to flip sentiment. After a relentless autumn run, buyers finally took a breather.
With pandemic lockdowns keeping millions out of work and hiring frozen, payroll processors looked hopelessly exposed to a broken labour market. This was the week the selling ran out of steam.
A surprise generic challenge had just threatened the company's blockbuster blood thinner, triggering panic and costing the chief executive his job. Once the courts stepped in to halt the shipments, the selling finally ran out of steam.