The Economy of Lucky Numbers

Licence plates

Hong Kong auctions vanity and lucky plates for charity. The single letter “W” set the record at HK$26 million in March 2021; “R” sold for HK$25.5 million in 2023 after opening at HK$5,000, and “18” fetched HK$16.5 million back in 2008. SCMP

Phone numbers

In 2003 Sichuan Airlines paid 2.33 million yuan for 8888-8888 in Chengdu. China Daily Around the 2008 Olympics, numbers ending in 6888 or 1888 went for over US$3,000. CBC

The 08-08-08 Olympics

Beijing opened the Games at 8:08 pm on 8 August 2008. About 9,000 couples married in Beijing that day — more than double the city’s previous single-day record. CBC

Property & pricing

Many buildings in Chinese communities skip 4th, 14th and 24th floors (Hong Kong towers sometimes skip 13 too), and retail prices tend to end in 8 rather than 9 — ¥88, ¥168, ¥888. Wikipedia

Stock tickers

Research by Hirshleifer, Jian and Zhang found Chinese firms choose lucky listing codes more often than chance. Those stocks trade at a premium after IPO — but the premium fades within three years and they underperform. UC Irvine

Numeric domains

Five-digit .com domains (“5N”) trade actively with Chinese investors. In the first half of 2026 there were 349 public 5N sales with a median of just $66 — wholesale-grade names — while the best (18000.com) sold for $24,251. Names without 4 and heavy in 8/6/9 lead the market; a leading 0 lowers value. GGRG · MediaOptions

Love festivals

At Qixi 2025, Taobao Flash Sale flower pre-orders rose 132% year on year, restaurant set menus were priced from ¥588 to ¥1,314, and jewellery group-buys rose 255%. Global Times China recorded 6.76 million marriage registrations in 2025, with 520 among the peak days. Xinhua