Are American rents rigged by algorithms?
That is what Department of Justice prosecutors allege
Imagine that you are about to enter a room with a group of nine other people. You will display a number—any between, say, 2,500 and 3,000. Once the group enters the room other players will start to come in. Each will choose one of your group, picking the lowest number. You do not know how quickly or slowly the other players will trickle in to pick from the group. What is the highest number you can display while still getting picked quickly?
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This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Computers can collude, too”
Finance & economics August 31st 2024
- Inflation is down and a recession is unlikely. What went right?
- Are American rents rigged by algorithms?
- The plasma trade is becoming ever-more hypocritical
- How Vladimir Putin hopes to transform Russian trade
- Can Japan’s zombie bond market be brought back to life?
- Vast government debts are riskier than they appear
From the August 31st 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
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Trump wastes no time in reigniting trade wars
Canada and Mexico look likely to suffer
How Trump, Starmer and Macron can avoid a debt crunch
With deficits soaring, their finance ministers will have to be smart
What Scott Bessent’s appointment means for the Trump administration
The president-elect’s nominee for treasury secretary faces a gruelling job
What Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders get wrong about credit cards
Forget interest rates. Rewards are the real problem
Computers unleashed economic growth. Will artificial intelligence?
Two years after ChatGPT-3.5 arrived, progress has been slower than expected
Should investors just give up on stocks outside America?
No, but it is getting a lot harder to keep the faith