Methodology · Version 2026.1

HYPE VS REALITY
METHODOLOGY

The Hype vs Reality Index is a proprietary Tycoon research framework that combines a Claude-assisted company-analysis pipeline, external media-signal monitoring, and editorial review to assess the gap between stock-market narrative and underlying business reality.

Claude-assisted company analysis Editorially supervised Versioned public methodology
Positioning
WHAT THE INDEX IS, AND IS NOT

The index is designed to make narrative distortion more legible for retail investors. It is a research tool, not a market oracle.

What it is

  • A structured comparison between narrative intensity and business substance.
  • A company-by-company editorial report built from Tycoon’s AI-assisted research pipeline.
  • A public framework that surfaces its own logic, labels, and limitations.

What it is not

  • Not a price target or a trading recommendation.
  • Not an academically validated benchmark or claim of objective truth.
  • Not a substitute for filings, valuation work, or independent due diligence.
Scoring flow
HOW COMPANIES ARE EVALUATED

Each company enters the index through a repeatable four-step process. Claude structures the company evidence; Tycoon expresses the result through a public editorial scoring layer.

Step 1
Claude-based company analysis

Tycoon’s company pipeline uses Claude to organize business context, product evidence, management cues, strategic risks, moat signals, segment detail, and filing-driven updates into a structured research object.

Step 2
Hype scoring

The index estimates how much narrative heat surrounds the company using visible story accelerants such as growth framing, attention density, strategic excitement, and media-signal pressure where available.

Step 3
Reality scoring

The index estimates how much of the narrative is earned by business substance: product validation, margins, moat depth, strategic legibility, risk discipline, and supporting operating evidence.

Step 4
Band assignment and company report

The gap between hype and reality determines the severity band. The public output includes a severity label, visual scale position, outcome verdict, review status, and company-level explanation.

Review system
PUBLIC REVIEW STATUSES

The index does not pretend every signal is equally mature. Review state is part of the published research record.

Editorially reviewed
External media signals for the company have been reviewed under Tycoon’s rubric. This is the strongest citation state currently available.
Partially reviewed
Some signals have been reviewed, but not all. Readers should treat the company as directionally useful, with supervision still in progress.
Pending review
Signals were surfaced algorithmically and are still awaiting human supervision. They can be used as a narrative map, not as a final editorial conclusion.
Pipeline only
No external media-signal layer is loaded yet. The company still has a Tycoon/Claude company evaluation, but the public media-signal tape remains incomplete.
Limitations
WHAT READERS SHOULD KEEP IN MIND

The strongest research products state their boundaries openly. This one should too.

Core limitations

  • Media coverage can be incomplete, especially when source feeds are thin or uneven.
  • Claude-assisted analysis improves structure and consistency, but does not remove the need for editorial oversight.
  • The index is better at revealing divergence between narrative and substance than at predicting price action.

Update policy

  • Methodology changes should be versioned publicly.
  • Signal labels and review statuses may evolve as the editorial record improves.
  • Citations should reference the edition or date of access when possible.