It was Singaporean SWF supremacy at the FT Alphaville Pub Quiz — but how would you have done?

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The future of Singaporean sovereign wealth investment looks safe after GIC’s finest took home the dub at last night’s FT Alphaville Pub Quiz in New York City.

More than two hundred of finance’s finest gathered in Houston Hall, Manhattan, for a grueling slog delightful mix of questions ranging from popular culture, to celebrity esoterica, to, you know, bond yields and stuff.

Thanks to the kind sponsorship of Brad Golding from Christofferson Robb, guests were treated to free drinks and food (the performance effects of which were hard to determine).

As well as Alphavillains Robin, Alex, George and Louis, prodigious emceeing skills were demonstrated (in spite of microphone issues) by the Unhedged team of Rob Armstrong and Ethan Wu, and by special guest Ben McKenzie — author, crypto scourge, and (perhaps most important of all) Ryan from The OC.

This time, the winners were Bold Vision from GIC, who smashed the competition with a meaty 46.5/84 score — more than 55 per cent! 😱

They took home winners’ mugs, huge clout, and the first copies of FT Alphaville’s latest t-shirt (which will launch to the public later today).

Close behind were UniCreditors No Alpha, But a Lot of Beer! — who also took home t-shirts — and Jane Streeters Vesey St. Tuna Trading Ltd. with a very respectable 44.5 and 42 points each.

For the more than thirty also-ran teams, the real wins were the handful of questions they got right along the way, the signed books they got, the new friends they made, and, in several instances, the FT pens that they pilfered. The FT team Due Diligence also managed to beat Murdoch’s Army of Darkness, which is nice, even if they thought the answer to the final question was Saudi Aramco.

Here are the final scores. It should be noted that some teams had to leave before the last rounds of questions, and a few scorecards somehow disappeared before the final tally.

1. Bold Vision (46.5 points)

2. No Alpha, But a Lot of Beer! (44.5 points)

3. Vesey St. Tuna Trading Ltd. (42 points)

4. Quizzed Up Short Sellers (40.5 points)

5. Bene Guesserit (38.5 points)

6 (tied). Exchange Traded Fun (38 points)

7 (tied). Mango Magic (38 points)

8 (tied). Omaha (38 points)

8. Teamwifhat (36.5 points)

9. New York Community Drank (34.5 points)

9. The Long and Variable Dags (34.5 points)

11. Deep Value Drunkards (34 points)

12. Due Diligence (33.5 points)

13 (tied). Ka-Powell (32.5 points)

13 (tied). Stragglers Beta (32.5 points)

15 (tied). Last-Quarter Annualized Pro Forma Further Adjusted Run-rate EBITDA (30.5 points)

16 (tied). Stragglers Alpha (30.5 points)

17. Murdoch’s Army of Darkness (30 points)

18. Bond, Long Bond (29.5 points)

19. Lowered Expectations (29 points)

20. Financial Titans (28 points)

21. Alternative Coupon Satisfaction Mechanism (27.5 points)

22 (tied). SOFR Soldiers (26.5 points)

23 (tied). Time Decay (26.5 points)

24. Top PIKs (26 points)

25. SOFR, So Good. (25.5 points)

26. Squirrels in the Chimney (25 points)

27. Bond Villains (23.5 points)

28. Not Alex Karp’s Short Sellers (23 points)

29. Les Avengeurs (21.5 points)

30. Liquidity Premium (18.5 points)

31. The 2&20s (10 points)

32. Scoundrels Refuge (7.5 points)

33. The Clippers (5 points)

34. MASSive Wealth of Knowledge (4.5 points)

Or, in shapes (dataviz is hard when you have a row called “Last-Quarter Annualized Pro Forma Further Adjusted Run-rate EBITDA”):

You are seeing a snapshot of an interactive graphic. This is most likely due to being offline or JavaScript being disabled in your browser.

Unfortunately, high demand meant we couldn’t make space for everyone who wanted to attend. So, for the late registrants, those who couldn’t attend for better reasons, and, of course, the sickos, here’s the quiz.

You are seeing a snapshot of an interactive graphic. This is most likely due to being offline or JavaScript being disabled in your browser.

Usual terms of use:

• Answers were (hopefully) correct at time of quizzing, but if you’ve returned here from the far future they may have changed.

• The quizmaster is always right.

Answers at the bottom. No cheating.

Rounds

1. FREDdy or not? [Econ/commodities]

2. To the M0on [Guest-hosted crypto round]

3. Plotted [Film plots]

4. Achy Breaky Chart [Picture round 1]

5. Business Icons [Picture round 2]

6. Hedge Hogs [Unhedged market round]

7. C-Suite Life [Celebs/bosses]

8. Risky Business [General Knowledge]

1. FREDdy or not?

1. Which major central bank head is a confessed fan of the Grateful Dead?

2. In current dollar GDP terms, how many Indonesias — to the nearest whole Indonesia — did China grow by between 2010 and 2020?

3. What is ARK Invest’s forecasted annual real US GDP growth rate between now and 2030?

4. Of aggregate US equity market returns since 1961, roughly how much comes on the few days following major economic news, like Fed meetings? Answers to the nearest 10 per cent. 

5. Which G20 countries does the IMF forecast will have the fastest and slowest growth rates in 2024? Half a point each. 

6. Which countries did the first winners of The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel hail from?

7. The goods share of real consumer spending sat at 32.3% before the pandemic. Where, to the nearest 1%, did it peak since then?

8. Which central bank was the first to introduce a formal inflation target?

9. Which former finance minister said: “I was, in a way, a victim of the bond markets.”?

10. What level are the highest and lowest interest rate dots for 2025 on the Fed’s latest economic projections, as expressed in the range? Half a point each.

2.  To the M0on

1. Who, according to a recent UK court ruling, is definitely not Satoshi Nakamoto?

2. 3AC co-founder Mark Lamb last month launched a crypto token that’s themed around which historical figure?

3. Which of the following was not a pre-bitcoin digital currency: B-Money, HashCash, Internet Money, Bitgold, Beenz?

4. What is Sam Bankman-Fried’s stated favourite character in the computer game League of Legends?

5. Bitcoin’s genesis block includes a headline from which newspaper?

6. What was the name of the NFT scheme backed by Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher that the SEC shut down in September?

7. How many years did Sam Bankman-Fried get?

8. Which crypto token is currently the fourth biggest by market cap, after bitcoin, ethereum and tether?

9. Where is Tether incorporated?

10. “I don’t care, just please stop talking about this shit”. Which Davos 2024 attendee said this, when asked about bitcoin?

3. Plotted

Every story is a business story.  In this round, we want you to match the financial plot to the famous film. Please note these are not always the entirety, or even an important part, of the plot in question.

1. A specialised retailer is forced to reverse a recent sale after the buyers fail to comply with product guidelines.

2. A creative professional attempts to balance his main career with seasonal employment in the tourism sector, but it causes frictions with his family.

3. An ambitious professional has some lawyer trouble after failing to complete a big project. He is forced to confront his competitors — all the way to the C-suite of a Chicago financial firm — so he can finally retire.

4. A computer programmer logs off.

5. An automobile recall specialist is able to quit his job after successfully monetising his side hustle.

6. A low-ranking hospitality worker is rapidly promoted after an unconventional upskilling process, but falls foul of health and safety regulations.

7. A bank loan officer denies a customer a third mortgage extension, in order to get a promotion. She gets the promotion.

8. Political conditions force a senior member of the armed forces to pivot to a career in sports. He retires shortly after winning his final match.

9. A successful expatriate hospitality boss’s establishment is closed down after a nationalistic row between patrons.

10. After being let go by a higher education establishment, a group of scientists launch their own venture combining consultation and pest control.

4. Achy Breaky Chart

[hi-res]

What do these charts show?

5. Business Icons

[hi-res]

Name these companies

6. Hedge Hogs

1. What is the current price-to-revenue multiple of $DJT, to the nearest 100x?

2. The US equity dividend yield used to always be higher than Treasury yields. In which decade did the relationship first flip?

3. What part of the US government will start repurchasing Treasuries this year to improve market liquidity?

4. Bitcoin ETFs were approved by the SEC on January 10. How long, in weeks, did it take before the converted Grayscale Bitcoin Trust closed at a premium to NAV?

5. Goldman Sachs coined an acronym for the European equivalent of the Magnificent Seven. What is it?

6. How many trading days, to the nearest 25, has the US 2s-10s yield curve been inverted?

7. According to Morningstar, what percentage of US large-cap equity active managers beat their passive benchmark during 2023?

8. How far, to the nearest 5 percentage points, is Boeing down this year?

9. How much, to the nearest $10bn, do Apple, Microsoft and Alphabet have in combined cash and investment holdings?

10. Meta’s profitability got squished hard in 2022. In the second quarter of 2021, operating margins were 43 per cent. Where, to the nearest percentage point, had they fallen to by the first quarter of 2023?

7. C-Suite Life

1. Going by the frequency of blanked-out words on earnings call transcripts, who is the sweariest CEO of them all?

2. What is the middle name of hedge fund manager Paul Singer?

3. Which former presidential candidate, and Celebrity Apprentice judge now chairs the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation?

4. In 2021, Tesla CEO Elon Musk added Technoking to his job title. What title did he award then-CFO Zach Kirkhorn?

5. The CEO of Pershing Square believes he inadvertently inspired a Japanese manga series. What is the series called?

6. Which company’s chief executive recently accused short sellers of cocaine use on television, and then threatened to give out their addresses to their alleged drug dealers?

7. Who was CEO of OpenAI for three days?

8. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ is a director of which NYSE-listed company?

9. This British CEO has a fleet of private aircraft with the following tailcodes: M-OVIE, M-USIC, M-ISTY, M-INTY and M-CHEM. Who is he?

10. The oldest and youngest Fortune 500 CEOs are Warren Buffett and Mark Zuckerberg, respectively. What’s the age gap?

8. Risky Business

1. What did the NV in Nvidia originally stand for?

2. Complete this song lyric: “It’s the alternatives era / Oh oh oh, build with [BLANK]”.

3. What is the first line of the address of Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino?

4. According to Bernstein analysis, which alcohol brand from the companies it covers is most commonly referenced in rap music?

5. American defence company Anduril is named after a reforged sword from The Lord of the Rings. What was the reforged sword originally called?

6. To the nearest thousand dollars, what is the highest value of pizza that Domino’s Pizza’s chief executive may have received as part of his compensation last year?

7. Which company’s boss recently said: “At the end of the day, you can eat less calories. You cannot have less liquid”?

8. According to Netflix’s inaugural engagement report, released in December, what was the most popular show on the platform during the first half of 2023?

9. The failed plan to split up auditor EY was called Project what?

10. The Labuan Exploration Company Limited, founded 1918, is now known by what name?

…and that’s it!

Let us descend the Ladder of Revelation…

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You are seeing a snapshot of an interactive graphic. This is most likely due to being offline or JavaScript being disabled in your browser.

1. FREDdy or not?

1. Which major central bank head is a confessed fan of the Grateful Dead? A: Jerome Powell

2. In current dollar GDP terms, how many Indonesias — to the nearest whole Indonesia — did China grow by between 2010 and 2020? A: Ten.

3. What is ARK Invest’s forecasted annual real US GDP growth rate between now and 2030? A: Seven per cent.

4. Of aggregate US equity market returns since 1961, roughly how much comes on the few days following major economic news, like Fed meetings? Answers to the nearest 10 per cent. A: 71 per cent.

5. Which G20 countries does the IMF forecast will have the fastest and slowest growth rates in 2024? Half a point each. A: India and Germany respectively.

6. Which countries did the first winners of The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel hail from? A: Norway and the Netherlands.

7. The goods share of real consumer spending sat at 32.3% before the pandemic. Where, to the nearest 1%, did it peak since then? A: 37%

8. Which central bank was the first to introduce a formal inflation target? A: Reserve Bank of New Zealand

9. Which former finance minister said: “I was, in a way, a victim of the bond markets.” A: Kwasi Kwarteng

10. What level are the highest and lowest interest rate dots for 2025 on the Fed’s latest economic projections, as expressed in the range? Half a point each. A: 5.5 per cent and 2.5 per cent.

2.  To the M0on

1. Who, according to a recent UK court ruling, is definitely not Satoshi Nakamoto? A: Craig Wright

2. 3AC co-founder Mark Lamb last month launched a crypto token that’s themed around which historical figure? A: Jesus

3. Which of the following was not a pre-bitcoin digital currency: B-Money, HashCash, Internet Money, Bitgold, Beenz? A: Internet Money (it’s a record label)

4. What is Sam Bankman-Fried’s stated favourite character in the computer game League of Legends? A: Vayne

5. Bitcoin’s genesis block includes a headline from which newspaper? A: The Times (of London)

6. What was the name of the NFT scheme backed by Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher that the SEC shut down in September? A: Stoner Cats

7. How many years did Sam Bankman-Fried get? A: 25

8. Which crypto token is currently the fourth biggest by market cap, after bitcoin, ethereum and tether? A: BNB / Binance coin

9. Where is Tether incorporated? A: British Virgin Islands

10. “I don’t care, just please stop talking about this shit”. Which Davos 2024 attendee said this, when asked about bitcoin? A: Jamie Dimon

3. Plotted

1. A specialised retailer is forced to reverse a recent sale after the buyers fail to comply with product guidelines. A: Gremlins

2. A creative professional attempts to balance his main career with seasonal employment in the tourism sector, but it causes frictions with his family. A: The Shining

3. An ambitious professional has some lawyer trouble after failing to complete a big project. He is forced to confront his competitors – all the way to the C-suite of a Chicago financial firm – so he can finally retire. A: The Killer 

4. A computer programmer logs off. A: The Matrix

5. An automobile recall specialist is able to quit his job after successfully monetising his side hustle. A: Fight Club

6. A low-ranking hospitality worker is rapidly promoted after an unconventional upskilling process, but falls foul of health and safety regulations. A: Ratatouille

7. A bank loan officer denies a customer a third mortgage extension, in order to get a promotion. She gets the promotion. A: Drag Me To Hell

8. Political conditions force a senior member of the armed forces to pivot to a career in sports. He retires shortly after winning his final match. A: Gladiator

9. A successful expatriate hospitality boss’s establishment is closed down after a nationalistic row between patrons. A: Casablanca

10. After being let go by a higher education establishment, a group of scientists launch their own venture combining consultation and pest control. A: Ghostbusters 

4. Achy Breaky Chart

[hi-res]

What do these charts show?

1. Cocoa

2. Freight rates (FEU China —> Europe)

3. Uranium

4. Inflation CPI Japan

5. Google Trends for Trump and Biden

6. Cable (GBPUSD cross)

7. Meta market cap

8. Walmart shares

9. Solana price

5. Business Icons

[hi-res]

Name these companies

1. Apple

2. Goldman Sachs

3. FTX

4. Caterpillar

5. Johnson & Johnson

6. Netflix

7. Unilever

8. Microsoft

9. JP Morgan

10. Capital One

11. Starbucks

12. Pepsico

13. BYD

14. Honeywell

15. Alibaba

6. Hedge Hogs

1. What is the current price-to-revenue multiple of $DJT, to the nearest 100x? A: 1700x

2. The US equity dividend yield used to always be higher than Treasury yields. In which decade did the relationship first flip? A: 1958 (50s accepted)

3. What part of the US government will start repurchasing Treasuries this year to improve market liquidity? A: The Treasury Department

4. Bitcoin ETFs were approved by the SEC on January 10. How long, in weeks, did it take before the converted Grayscale Bitcoin Trust closed at a premium to NAV? A: Three

5. Goldman Sachs coined an acronym for the European equivalent of the Magnificent Seven. What is it? A: GRANOLAS

6. How many trading days, to the nearest 25, has the US 2s-10s yield curve been inverted? A: 450

7. According to Morningstar, what percentage of US large-cap equity active managers beat their passive benchmark during 2023? A: 50 per cent

8. How far, to the nearest 5 percentage points, is Boeing down this year? A: 30 per cent [32%]

9. How much, to the nearest $10bn, do Apple, Microsoft and Alphabet have in combined cash and investment holdings? A: $570bn

10. Meta’s profitability got squished hard in 2022. In the second quarter of 2021, operating margins were 43%. Where, to the nearest percentage point, had they fallen to by the first quarter of 2023? A: 25%

7. C-Suite Life

1. Going by the frequency of blanked-out words on earnings call transcripts, who is the sweariest CEO of them all? A: Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary

2. What is the middle name of hedge fund manager Paul Singer? A: Elliott

3. Which former presidential candidate, and Celebrity Apprentice judge now chairs the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation? A: Carly Fiorina

4. In 2021, Tesla CEO Elon Musk added Technoking to his job title. What title did he award then-CFO Zach Kirkhorn? A: Master of Coin

5. The CEO of Pershing Square believes he inadvertently inspired a Japanese manga series. What is the series called? A: Go! Go! Ackman 

6. Which company’s chief executive recently accused short sellers of cocaine use on television, and then threatened to give out their addresses to their alleged drug dealers? A: Palantir

7. Who was CEO of OpenAI for three days? A: Emmett Shear

8. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ is a director of which NYSE-listed company? A: TKO

9. This British CEO has a fleet of private aircraft with the following tailcodes: M-OVIE, M-USIC, M-ISTY, M-INTY and M-CHEM. Who is he? A: Jim Ratcliffe

10. The oldest and youngest Fortune 500 CEOs are Warren Buffett and Mark Zuckerberg, respectively. What’s the age gap? A: 54 years
    

8. Risky Business

1. What did the NV in Nvidia originally stand for? A: Next Version

2. Complete this song lyric: “It’s the alternatives era / Oh oh oh, build with [BLANK]”. A: Blackstone

3. What is the first line of the address of Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino? A: 1 Infinite Loop

4. According to Bernstein analysis, which alcohol brand from the companies it covers is most commonly referenced in rap music? A: Hennessy

5. American defence company Anduril is named after a reforged sword from The Lord of the Rings. What was the reforged sword originally called? A: Narsil

6. To the nearest thousand dollars, what is the highest value of pizza that Domino’s Pizza’s chief executive may have received as part of his compensation last year? A: $4,000 ($4,030)

7. Which company’s boss recently said: “At the end of the day, you can eat less calories. You cannot have less liquid”? A: Coca-Cola

8. According to Netflix’s inaugural engagement report, released in December, what was the most popular show on the platform during the first half of 2023? A: The Night Agent

9. The failed plan to split up auditor EY was called Project what? A: Everest

10. The Labuan Exploration Company Limited, founded 1918, is now known by what name? A: Financial Times

As ever, feedback/pleas/angry missives to alphaville@ft.com.