Prepare to be amazed, and maybe a little frustrated! Our latest charts quiz was so challenging, it sparked everything from admiration to outright... well, let's just say spirited feedback. But here's where it gets controversial: we might have deliberately made it a tad unfair. Read on to find out why, and to see if you would have cracked the code!
Published January 12, 2026
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The response to the previous charts quiz was… intense. One reader hailed it as "chart crime!" Another, with slightly less enthusiasm, suggested it "Could have benefited from a bit more preparation to make the charts less sloppy." A third simply declared it "Mean." Ouch!
OK, let's address the elephant in the room. Yes, the final chart was intentionally difficult. And yes, the X-axis labels showing "2021" twice while skipping "2025" seemed to compound the problem. The truth? A pesky gremlin in our chart-building software was partially to blame. But this is the part most people miss: we decided to keep the 'error' because we thought it would make things... interesting. Sorry (not sorry?).
Why the deliberate difficulty? Simple: 1) We had a fantastic number of participants. 2) Very few managed to get all the answers correct. And 3) There was a healthy dose of, shall we say, robust feedback. This, my friends, constitutes the perfect hat-trick of FT Alphaville charts quizzing!
So, without further ado, let's reveal the solutions. Prepare for some 'aha!' moments, and maybe a few facepalms.
Solution 1: This chart depicted the share price of SanDisk/Jensen Huang’s latest levitation trick. (You can delve deeper into this story here: https://www.ft.com/content/8c0f2589-66f6-4d4a-9555-a29868c86079). SanDisk, known for its memory solutions, has seen its stock react to market trends and internal developments.
Solution 2: This chart illustrated the self-reported oil reserves of Venezuela (check out the analysis here: https://www.reuters.com/commentary/breakingviews/venezuelas-oil-claims-are-slick-goopy-mess-2026-01-08/). Did this chart inspire Alphaville to hum Enya's "Orinoco Flow" all week? We'll never tell... (Okay, maybe a little bit). Venezuela's oil reserves are a topic of much debate, with questions raised about the accuracy of the reported figures. And this is a point that could spark differing opinions, what do you think?
Solution 3: Finally, this chart showcased the share price of Meta Materials, arguably the cult stock of cult stocks (explore the full story here: https://www.wsj.com/finance/how-the-stock-ticker-mmtlp-became-an-anti-wall-street-rallying-cry-3e2a512a). Meta Materials, with its focus on advanced materials and metamaterials, has attracted a passionate following of investors.
Now, here's where it gets really interesting. We desperately wanted to include a price chart of Meta Materials' now-infamous preferred shares, MMTLP. Despite the company's bankruptcy and the equity being effectively zeroed out in 2024, some believers still hold onto the hope that they'll somehow recover their investment. Last week, a group of these investors apparently held a press conference outside the SEC (read the press release here: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mmtlp-investors-to-hold-press-conference-at-sec-demanding-accountability-for-historic-market-failure-302654290.html), demanding accountability for what they see as a major market failure. This spectacle tickled Alphaville enough to include the chart of its common stock in the quiz as a nod to the ongoing saga. Was this a fair inclusion given the circumstances? Let us know what you think in the comments.
We freely admit, this last one was exceptionally challenging. Out of all the entries, only two individuals, Ziyodulla Abdullaev and James Ritossa, managed to correctly identify all three charts. And after consulting the wheel of fortune (because, why not?), the winner is…
…Ziyodulla Abdullaev!
Congratulations to Ziyodulla, a frequent finalist but a first-time champion! James, better luck next time! Perhaps you'll eventually amass enough winners' t-shirts to field a full five-a-side football team.
So, what did you think of this quiz? Was it too hard? Too easy? Just the right amount of chart-based chaos? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! And more importantly, were we right to include the Meta Material chart? We're genuinely curious to hear your opinions.
