Hit single means sour note for economy
January 28, 2009 by Shane BorerPosted in: "Would you want this person in Finance?", In this week's e-newsletter, Latest news & views
There’s no one person, business or country to blame for worldwide economic troubles. But if one person is mostly responsible, it’s probably Beyonce. According to Phil Maymin, Professor of Finance and Risk Engineering at New York University, the singer’s hit “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” isn’t just a catchy tune — it is actually wreaking havoc on the world’s economy.
After Maymin studied decades of Billboard’s Top 100 hits, he found that songs with low “beat variance” directly correlated with market turbulence. In essence, the more regular a song’s beat, the worse the stock market performs.
“Single Ladies” isn’t the only tune that’s crushed Wall Street — the ’80′s song “Take on Me” by A-Ha was another hit on top of the charts during a market crash.
How long until the markets return to normal? It’ll take more than Beyonce plummeting down the Billboard list, says Maymin. His research also claims the market will become stable when the charts are clear of any steady tunes.
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Tags: Beyonce, Billboard, Market Crash, NYU


January 30th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
This author needs to lay off Beyonce… I love the song so much that I learned the dance routine in the music video!!!
January 30th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
This is absolutely ridiculous.
January 30th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
I don’t think its Beyonce’s fault, if it is hopefully her next some will be better.