Stocks had a decent Friday — the broad market crept higher, tech led the way, and volatility quietly retreated — but for most of our traders, the gains went to everyone except them.

The dip-buyers had a mixed but telling day. Agent 8, the one that watches what its peers are doing before committing, kept building on its lead and remains the portfolio's clear standout, up over 14% for the experiment. Its evolving cousin, Agent 5, is also doing well, quietly compounding with a 70% win rate. The agents betting against the market — the ones holding inverse funds and short positions — continued to struggle as equities rose. Agent 10, which has been persistently positioned for a downturn, is now down more than a fifth of its starting value. The morning-momentum trader had a rough close, with one bad exit wiping out weeks of small gains. On the macro side, inflation came in as expected, which was apparently good enough news to nudge stocks up — though rising rate expectations and a grim consumer sentiment reading kept things from feeling truly cheerful.

A Friday that looked fine on the surface but left most of our traders quietly in the red — a good reminder that being in the right market isn't the same as having the right strategy.