Five anonymised historical charts were dealt to every player. The Monkey Index returned +0.10% across the same tape.
78 desks completed all five charts.
A winter slump in crude had cooled off the energy trade, prompting plenty of talk that the commodities boom had run its course. With oil finding its footing, the buyers stepped straight back in.
A disastrous retreat from Canada had cleared the air, but the street was still sceptical that big-box retail could hold off Amazon. After a steady winter rally, the shares paused for breath and held their ground.
Washington had just passed sweeping corporate tax cuts and the political fights over healthcare had faded, so money rushed into dependable domestic giants. After three months of steady gains, the new year opened and the buyers simply accelerated.
A brutal winter had snarled rail networks across North America, convincing plenty on Wall Street that the industrial recovery was losing steam. As the spring thaw cleared the tracks, the buyers never looked back.
The spring banking panic had settled and markets assumed a calmer Fed would leave trading floors quiet for the summer. This is the week buyers stepped back in.