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?
Explore more
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
Explore the editionMore from Finance & economics
China meets its official growth target. Not everyone is convinced
For one thing, 2024 saw the second-weakest rise in nominal GDP since the 1970s
Ethiopia gets a stockmarket. Now it just needs some firms to list
The country is no longer the most populous without a bourse
Are big cities overrated?
New economic research suggests so
Why catastrophe bonds are failing to cover disaster damage
The innovative form of insurance is reaching its limits
“The Traitors”, a reality TV show, offers a useful economics lesson
It is a finite, sequential, incomplete information game
Will Donald Trump unleash Wall Street?
Bankers have plenty of reason to be hopeful