Q1 2026 – May 15 2026 · Intelligence Report

Cultural Intelligence:
The First 80 Editions

80 editions · 35 Q1 · 45 Q2 so far · 1,975 articles analysed · 63 sources cited
80
Editions published
Feb 25 – May 15, 2026
1,975
Articles analysed
25 per edition
400
Signals tracked
5 per edition
36
Predictions
in market

Where cultural intelligence concentrated

400 signals, 8 categories
Tech & Digital
79
19.8%
Fashion & Style
78
19.5%
Brand & Business
72
18.0%
Music & Entertainment
56
14.0%
Design & Architecture
51
12.8%
Culture & Ideas
27
6.8%
Art & Photography
20
5.0%
Lifestyle & Taste
17
4.2%
Signal distribution across all 80 editions. Tech & Digital and Fashion & Style together account for 39.3% of all signals – but they appear in equal measure, suggesting balance rather than bias.

The intensity score over 80 editions

Scored 0–100 each edition. Above 70 = heightened cultural activity.
72
Overall average
across 80 editions
87
Peak edition
Highest single score (Q1)
73 71
Q1 average → Q2 average
Range: 68–87 → 62–78

Pulse scores above 70 indicate heightened cultural activity. The average of 72 across 80 editions suggests consistently elevated signal density – only a handful of editions dropped below the threshold.

Honest note: Q2 running 2 points cooler than Q1 – but still above the 70 threshold that signals high-activity periods. The lower floor (62 vs 68) reflects a few quieter weeks, not a structural shift in signal quality.

36 calls, tracked in public

Made with confidence scores. Judged against real-world outcomes.
27
Active and pending
75% of total
1
Confirmed correct
2.8% hit rate
7
Called wrong
Window closed
47%
Fashion & Luxury
Largest category share
All 36 predictions visualised
Confirmed (1) Wrong (7) Expired (1) Pending (27)

85% of predictions carry a confidence score of 7/10 – calibrated uncertainty, not false precision. The 5 high-confidence calls (8/10) cluster around tech infrastructure shifts.

Most predictions have Q3/Q4 2026 deadlines. The confirmed rate will compound as time windows close through the second half of 2026.

63 publications. Filtered to signal.

Out of 151 monitored daily

Out of 151 sources monitored daily by CultureTerminal, 63 appeared in signal briefs across 80 editions. The rest were filtered out – low-relevance articles consume the feed; only high-signal pieces make the brief.

Business of Fashion 78x
TechCrunch 41x
Hypebeast 39x
Dezeen 34x
Vogue 26x
Glossy 17x
Engadget 12x
Design Taxi 11x
Bloomberg 4x
The Verge 4x
Wall Street Journal 3x
Wired 2x
Frequency counts represent appearances in signal briefs, not total articles reviewed. 151 sources monitored daily across CultureTerminal's feed. 63 unique publications have appeared in briefs across 80 editions.

27 calls still in market

Fashion & Luxury (47%) and Tech & AI (36%) lead the open bets

Most active predictions have Q3 or Q4 2026 resolution windows. Fashion & Luxury leads with 47% of all predictions; Tech & AI accounts for 36%. Together they represent 83% of the ledger – a reflection of where The Pattern has identified the most consequential shifts in motion.

The confirmed rate will converge as time windows close through the second half of 2026. The 2.8% hit rate at this stage is not a failure signal – it is what a ledger looks like when most bets are still open.

See all active predictions →
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