What sound does a volatile stock market make?
The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked historic stock market volatility in recent weeks, coming on the heels of historic highs.
Maybe you’ve seen the graphs; a steady rise followed by a sharp drop that is now zig-zagging, up and down. That’s what the data looks like. But what might it sound like? Is there a way for us to actually hear how the market has gone from the steady highs of months ago to its current state?
Yes, there is. Thanks to Jordan Wirfs-Brock, an information science Ph.D student at the University of Boulder Colorado. Wirfs-Brock created a 12-second sonification of the stock market from Jan. 2, 2020 to March 27, 2020, where each second represents a week of trading. Using the Dow Jones Industrial Average market data, Wirfs-Brock focused on two metrics: the daily percentage change, to convey volatility and the daily closing price, to convey overall market movement.
Jordan called in from home to give “Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal a lesson in how to listen. For a more detailed lesson and explanation of the work behind the sonification, check out this Twitter thread
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
