Question 1

What is the difference between STI 30, STI 100, STI 500, STI 1000, and STI Cases?

Accepted Answer

Each index covers a different segment of the CS2 skin market. STI 30 holds the 30 highest-cap items and behaves as a blue-chip benchmark. STI 100 and STI 500 widen the universe to 100 and 500 constituents respectively, capturing mid-cap and broad-market exposure. STI 1000 is the broadest market index. STI Cases isolates containers — a distinct asset class with its own dynamics: shrinking supply via opening and dependence on player count. All five share S&P Dow Jones methodology; only the eligible universe changes.

Question 2

How are the STI indices calculated?

Accepted Answer

STI indices follow the S&P Dow Jones cap-weighted total return standard: each constituent is weighted proportional to its market cap (price × estimated supply) within the index. Rebalances run on the 3rd of each month at 07:00 UTC, recomputing eligible items (liquidity-filtered via Steam volume) and weights. Prices come from the Steam Community Market (canonical source). The complete formula, eligibility rules, outlier treatment, and algorithm version history are documented in /en/methodology (open methodology).

Question 3

Why does STI Cases outperform the other indices so dramatically?

Accepted Answer

STI Cases compounds roughly +790% over the 6-year backtest versus +180% for the S&P 500 and +77% for Brazilian CDI in the same window. The structural driver is scarcity — players open cases and they are never recreated, so supply contracts continuously while demand (CS2 player count) typically grows. Discontinued cases become extremely rare. The trade-off: Cases shows high volatility, significant max drawdown in adverse windows, and concentration in a handful of items. The Sharpe ratio column on the comparison table quantifies the risk-adjusted picture.

Question 4

How do STI returns compare with the S&P 500 and CDI?

Accepted Answer

Over the 6-year backtest (2020-2026): STI Cases +790%, STI 500 +58%, S&P 500 +180%, and Brazilian CDI +77%. Broad skin indices underperformed equities, but containers outperformed everything. Caveats: skins carry higher liquidity friction (Steam fees, withdrawal delays), significant volatility, and concentration in narrow categories — they don't replace traditional allocations, but function as alternative exposure for participants already inside the ecosystem. Detailed analysis in /en/blog/skins-vs-cdi-vs-bitcoin-2020-2026.

Question 5

Is the data free? Can I use it for academic research?

Accepted Answer

Yes, all data is free and open. Index snapshots are exposed via /api/indices and /api/indices/[id] as JSON, with no signup and no aggressive rate limit. The complete methodology lives at /en/methodology (open methodology). For academic research, journalism, or market analyses, only attribution is requested (cite Skin Trackers as the source) — no commercial restriction. Backtests are reproducible: the algorithm is deterministic, snapshots are versioned, and the history covers 2020 to today (6+ years).

Index	Total return	CAGR	Volatility	Sharpe	Max DD	Basket	Rebalance	Window
STI 500 STI-500 Top: AK-47 Case Hardened, ★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler, ★ Navaja Knife Doppler	+58.0%	+7.8%	26.3%	-0.09	-29.7%	500	Monthly	Apr 2020 → May 2026
STI 1000 STI-1000 Top: ★ Bowie Knife Doppler, M4A1-S Fade, AK-47 Case Hardened	+55.2%	+7.5%	23.8%	-0.11	-29.1%	977	Monthly	Apr 2020 → May 2026
STI 100 STI-100 Top: ★ Bowie Knife Doppler, ★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler, ★ Falchion Knife Gamma Doppler	+7.6%	+1.2%	24.8%	-0.36	-35.0%	100	Monthly	Apr 2020 → May 2026
STI 30 STI-30 Top: ★ Ursus Knife Doppler, ★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler, ★ Falchion Knife Gamma Doppler	+30.5%	+4.5%	33.1%	-0.17	-50.2%	30	Quarterly	Apr 2020 → May 2026
STI Cases STI-CASES Top: Dreams & Nightmares Case, Glove Case, Fever Case	+792.4%	+52.8%	52.5%	0.81	-38.7%	40	Monthly	Mar 2021 → May 2026

Comparison table for the 5 STI indices