Methodology & Transparency Statement
What Index // MRKT Is
Index // MRKT is a proprietary corporate equity intelligence platform that tracks verifiable corporate actions through a Black economic lens. We monitor public disclosures, policy changes, leadership moves, and financial commitments — then classify each signal using a structured analytical framework designed to surface what matters for Black consumers, workers, business owners, and communities.
We are not a rating agency. We do not assign letter grades or composite scores. We classify individual signals — discrete corporate actions or disclosures — and present the analysis with enough context for readers to draw their own conclusions.
The No Inference Standard
Vague diversity language does not count. Implied commitments do not count. Undocumented claims do not count. A company that publishes detailed workforce demographics with disaggregated data gets assessed on what they showed. A company that issues a press release about its “commitment to diversity” without numbers, timelines, or accountability mechanisms gets classified accordingly.
This is what separates BDI from broad ESG and DEI platforms that infer progress from tone, volume of reporting, or industry membership. We measure disclosed actions and their structural depth — nothing more.
How Signals Are Classified
Signals are identified through continuous editorial monitoring — news sources, corporate disclosures, regulatory filings, earnings transcripts, community organization reports, and direct submissions. BDI editors select signals based on relevance to Black economic outcomes, not news volume or corporate prominence.
Each signal is processed through BDI’s Intelligence Engine, which applies a proprietary analytical framework to the source content. The engine uses AI-assisted technology to perform initial classification across multiple analytical dimensions. Every classification is then reviewed by a human analyst before publication.
The AI assists with applying the framework consistently at scale. The human makes the final editorial call. No signal is published without human review and approval.
Every signal is analyzed across several dimensions, including which area of corporate activity is affected, what direction the action moves in relative to Black economic equity, how deeply the action changes economic structure, what evidence supports the classification, and what consumers should monitor next.
BDI uses a proprietary analytical framework with defined categories for each dimension. The specific taxonomy, scoring criteria, and classification logic are proprietary to BDI and are not published in full.
Why Disaggregated Data Matters
Most corporate diversity reporting uses broad categories — “diverse,” “underrepresented,” “people of color.” These terms make it impossible to assess outcomes for any specific community. A company could report 30% diverse representation while Black employees make up 2% of leadership.
BDI distinguishes Black community outcomes from broad diversity metrics. This is a core methodological principle, not a political position. If a company’s data does not disaggregate Black outcomes specifically, our assessment reflects that limitation. Transparency is the minimum requirement for accountability.
Structural Depth
Not all corporate actions carry the same weight. A press release and a multi-billion dollar capital reallocation are both “signals,” but they operate at fundamentally different levels of structural change.
BDI assesses structural depth on a five-point scale that evaluates three factors: the actors involved and their market power, the mechanism of change (policy, capital, governance, measurement, or narrative), and the durability of the action — how easily it could be reversed.
A symbolic announcement without structural backing scores differently than a governance-level change that creates externally verifiable obligations. The scale of the actors matters — the same initiative carries different structural weight depending on who implements it and their market influence.
The Role of AI in Our Process
BDI uses AI-assisted technology as part of the classification process. We believe in being direct about this.
Reads source content, applies the BDI analytical framework to generate an initial classification, and drafts narrative elements such as headlines and analytical summaries.
Make final editorial decisions, generate data not present in the source material, classify signals without human oversight, or publish content autonomously.
The human reviews every classification for accuracy, adjusts analytical judgments based on editorial expertise and contextual knowledge, approves or rejects signals for publication, and maintains quality control over the editorial voice.
The AI is a tool that helps us apply a complex analytical framework consistently. The editorial judgment — what lens, what direction, what depth, what matters — belongs to the human analysts.
Source Attribution
Every published signal links to its original source. BDI does not paywall source attribution — publishers and content creators always receive credit regardless of the reader’s membership tier.
BDI classifies and analyzes; we do not replace the original reporting. Our analysis is built on top of journalism, corporate disclosures, and public records produced by others. Proper attribution is non-negotiable.
What BDI Does Not Do
Data & Privacy
BDI’s consumer tools collect anonymized usage data for research purposes. This data helps identify patterns in how consumers interact with corporate equity information and supports BDI’s research mission through its nonprofit partner, the Black Dollar Initiative.
Individual user data is never sold or shared with the companies being assessed. BDI does not use consumer data for targeted advertising. There are no ads on the platform.
Continuous Improvement
BDI’s analytical framework evolves as our dataset grows and as the corporate equity landscape changes. When we update our methodology, scoring criteria, or analytical dimensions, we disclose those changes publicly.
We believe accountability runs both ways. We hold corporations to their disclosures, and we hold ourselves to ours.
© 2026 For the Equity Marketing & Consulting, LLC • Black Dollar Index • blackdollarindex.com