Hackonomics: Can You Read the Markets?

A 10-day Hackathon-style Workshop diving into ML-based Economic Analysis.

Have you ever wondered what drives markets up and what pushes prices down? Why do stock markets react to headlines within seconds, why do gold prices rise in times of uncertainty, or why food prices suddenly spike? Markets are constantly sending signals. The real challenge is learning how to read them. Hackonomics: Can You Read the Markets? is a 10-day, hackathon-style workshop that takes participants on a data-driven journey through economic markets. Designed for participants from all academic and non-academic backgrounds, this workshop requires no prior knowledge of economics, finance, or artificial intelligence. Only curiosity and a willingness to explore. Working in teams, participants will dive into real-world market data such as stocks, gold, real estate, and food markets. Through interactive activities, simulations, and guided analysis, teams will explore how markets behave during calm periods and crises, identify recurring patterns, and build their own current market analysis. Using AI-assisted tools and simple machine-learning concepts, participants will learn how data can help uncover hidden structures in markets and support informed interpretations of uncertainty. Along the way, teams will face market shocks, algorithmic signals, and policy surprises, challenging them to adapt their thinking just like real decision-makers do. The workshop closes with a final hackathon-style showcase, where teams present their analysis and interpretation of a chosen market.