Neopets Stock Market Guide/FAQ v.01 Made by DJMessiah12 Last Updated on Jan, 2004 (Best viewed in Notepad, with 800x600 full screen resolution) 12345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890 *------------------------------------------------------------------------------* | Legal - "Neopets," "NeoDaq," and any other tradmarks are copyrighted to | | Neopets.com © | | This document may not be edited or used in any other FAQ or Guide, without my| | permission. | | This guide is solely meant for personal use. Any use of this guide for | | business or profit is against the law, and will result in a legal fine | | The use of this guide on any website without my expressed written consent, is| | forbiden. | | This guide can be found only at the following gaming websites by my | | permission: | | http://www.gamefaqs.com/ | | If you see this anywhere else, please contact me through email. | | (DJMessiah2004@yahoo.com) | | This guide/faq is copyright by DJMessiah12, 2004 © | *------------------------------------------------------------------------------* Please contact me only for the following: * Corrections to this guide. (i.e. spelling, outdated info, etc) * Questions not answered by this guide. (Note - you will be given credit in the next update) * Any points that could be made easier to understand or was too confusing. * Personal Tips that should be included in this guide. * Personal Accomplishments. * Praises. And how this guide helped you out. :) Do not contact me if: * You are in need of neopoints. * You have been frozen. (Neopets sometimes freezes at random, so don't be suprised if you are) * Have a questiom that has already been covered in this guide. * Feel like flaming this guide and/or me. * You want to send me spam. * Want to know my Neopet's Screen Name. * Want me to join your guild. I'm already in one. * Want to ask me for my a/s/l, or anything else non related to this guide or Neopets. * Want to know how much nps I have on my account. * Want to battle me. I do not battle with strangers. ______________________________________________________________________________ - Remember that this guide is not 100% guaranteed way of making you millions. It will however help you make lots of neopoints and better understand the Stock Market. ______________________________________________________________________________ 1. Contents: ============================= 1. Contents 2. About Me and Contacting Me 3. About Neopets.com 4. Links 5. Stock Market FAQ. 5.1 How do I play the Stock Market? 5.2 What are stocks? 5.3 Can I lose money from the Stock Market? 5.4 How much can I make from the Stock Market? 5.5 How come my stocks aren't changing? 5.6 What is a portfolio? 5.7 How many stocks can we buy and at what price? 5.8 Why does my stock price keep decreasing? 5.9 When should I sell my stocks? 5.10 How much commision does Nigel charge? 5.11 Does a stock's price ever go to zero? 5.12 What happens if I don't check on my stocks daily? 5.13 Which stocks do you recomend? 5.14 How much money should I use on the stock Market? 5.15 What is a "ticker symbol"? 5.16 What is a stock's description for? 5.17 Where can I see the company's competetors? 5.18 How long does it take for a stock to go up to a high price? 5.19 Does Neopet's Stock Market differ from the real one? 5.20 Do you get any trophies from the stock market? 5.21 Does the market regulate based on how well the shops in Neopia do? 5.22 Does Nigel ever make enough to buy his car? 6. Stock Market Guide 6.1 The Stock Market explained. 6.2 Finding the right stock(s) to buy. 6.3 Making Profits 6.4 I've invested money, so now what? 6.5 Dangers of the Stock Market. 6.6 Secrets and Tricks 6.7 Maintaining your Portfolio 6.8 Stock Market Message Board 6.9 Special Challenges and Accomplishments 7. General Tips 8. My Portfolio 9. My Monthly Profits Log 10. Helpful websites 11. Bugs and Errors 12. FAQ on this Guide 13. Version History 14. Sites that have permission to use this FAQ 15. Thanks ======================================================================= ======================== 2. About Me and Contacting Me ======================== This section explains my experiences and knownledge from playing Neopets and how to contact me. I have been playing Neopets for four years now. I have over 3 years of stock market experience, and in those 3 years, I have accumilated a profit of close to 9 mill+ from it. Due to unwritten rules, I have been frozen 4 times so far. The site has been over run with useless and idiotic rules, and for this reason, I have ceased neomail contact from certain accounts, inorder to insure it's safety. If you wish to contact me, please email me at DJMessiah2004@yahoo.com, or you can find me on the Neopet help board on GameFaqs.com. My username on the GameFaqs.com board is DJMessiah12. ======================== 3. About Neopets.com ======================== Neopets was created in 1999 by a man named Adam (Neopet's SN: Borovan) and a woman named Donna (Neopet's SN: Donna). They made the site while in College, inorder for bored college students to have a form of entertainment while on a net. Yes, you read right, Neopets was made for Adults, and not children. After a few years on the net, the site became very popular among many kids, and ever since then, the site has been geared towards the younger audience (even though they still claim it's still for adults). It has lost most of it's appeal to adults, and is better suited for children. The Stock Market is one of the few things left on the site that still requires a bit of intellect and strategy, unlike most of the games where you shoot random objects on the screen and hope to make a few neopoints. And therefor that is why I am still a player. ======================== 4. Links ======================== These are links to some of the more important aspects of the stock market (most can be found listed on the main page of the market). Main Page: http://www.neopets.com/stockmarket.phtml My Portfolio: http://www.neopets.com/stockmarket.phtml?type=portfolio Buy Stocks: http://www.neopets.com/stockmarket.phtml?type=buy Sell your stocks: http://www.neopets.com/stockmarket.phtml?type=sell Full List of Available Stocks: http://www.neopets.com/stockmarket.phtml?type=list&full=true Message Board: http://www.neopets.com/neoboards/boardlist.phtml?board=12 ======================== 5. Stock Market FAQ. ======================== -5.1 How do I play the Stock Market? ======================== You can "play" the market by the buying and selling of stocks. Though this doesn't really count as a game, it still provides a nice amount of neopoints and a bit of fun. You make money from the selling of stocks that have went up in price. -5.2 What are stocks? ======================== In real life, stocks are indiviual shares of a company, meaning parts of the company you own. When you buy a share, you are owning a certain small part of the company, and helping it by providing money to fund the company. The company can then use the money you used to buy their stocks to make products, pay their employees, and so on. Think of it kind of a like a loan. In Neopets, the stocks are the same way, but the only difference is that you don't spend any real money or recieve any real money. -5.3 Can I lose money from the Stock Market? ======================== Yes, just like real life stocks, you can lose money. You lose money if you sell a stock for a cheaper price than what you paid for it. And sometimes, you might even lose ALL of your money (from a company being bankrupt), but this rarely happens. -5.4 How much can I make from the Stock Market? ======================== This depends on how much you spend and how long you have been playing. I, for instance, make close to 200k in a few weeks. But that's only because I have over 800k invested right now. So expect to make an extra 1/4 of what you invest in a few weeks. -5.5 How come my stocks aren't changing? ======================== The stocks's price changes regularly every hour or so. If you keep checking back frequently, you can see if it goes up or down. If you check only once a day, you might miss out on when a stock might reach it's peak price in that day. -5.6 What is a portfolio? ======================== A portfolio is a list of stocks that you currently own. To view your portfolio, go to http://www.neopets.com/stockmarket.phtml?type=portfolio. In your portfolio you will see much helpful info on the stocks you own. Each section is explained in the later part of this guide. -5.7 How many stocks can we buy and at what price? ======================== You can buy up to 1000 shares daily, and each stock you buy must be atleast 15 nps in price. When the stock market first started, it used to be that you could buy as many stocks as you like, and at any price. But since people literaly became millionaires within days, Neopets placed a limit on the buying and selling of stocks, inorder to keep it's members from becoming rich. -5.8 Why does my stock price keep decreasing? ======================== A stock's price decreases just like it would increase. Sometimes it may be 15 nps one day, and 9 nps the next. Players have no control over the price of a stock, but it is wise to keep the stock untill it goes back up in price. You can sell it if it drops, if you really need the nps, but you will lose whatever you paid minus the current price of the stock. -5.9 When should I sell my stocks? ======================== If you are starting out in stocks, you should sell your stocks when it gets to 17 nps - 20 nps. Since you are new, any extra amount of nps you generate should go towards buying new stock. If you are a regular Stock Market Player, or if you have tons of nps (i.e in the 800k-10 mill range), you should wait untill a stock's price increases to over 25-35 before selling, since you already have enough nps to buy more stocks later on. Sometimes, if you wait long enough, a stock's price can reach 40, 50, or even 200 nps per share! This is how many of the veterans make their big money. -5.10 How much commision does Nigel charge? ======================== Each time you decide to sell your stocks, whether if it's 1 share or a million, Nigel will always charge you 20 nps total. If you sell a stock for the same price that you bought it, you would lose only 20 nps. -5.11 Does a stock's price ever go to zero? ======================== Yes, and when this occurs, it means that the company has gone bankrupt. Usually, Neopets will announce if a big stock goes bankrupt. Neopets does cause a company to go bankrupt out of the blue, even if the company has shares going for 100 or more nps. -5.12 What happens if I don't check on my stocks daily? ======================== It is not required to check stocks daily. As long as you your account hasn't been frozen, your stocks will remain safe, and will never leave your account. -5.13 Which stocks do you recomend? ======================== Most stocks have been known to go over 80 nps. Such stocks are high risk stocks, because just as they have a chance to go really high, they also have an equal chance to go even lower. Some stocks are stable, and rarely change more than 5 points in a month. If you have lots of neopints to spare, I would go for the high risk ones like SSS, LUPE, BOOM, CHIA, UNIB, KSON, SKIE, AAVL, EEEE, TNAH, TAG, or TSRC. If you want to be safe, all the others would be fine. -5.14 How much money should I use on the stock Market? ======================== I would use as much neopoints that I could spare. If you regularly need neopoints to restock or feed your pet, then I wouldn't use too much nps. Just use however much you can live without. I sometimes invest all my neopoints, because I can easily accumilate so much more by doing so. -5.15 What is a "ticker symbol"? ======================== A ticker symbol is a stock's initials, which is usually found scrolling at the top of the stock's page in the marquee. It's initals is usually (but not always) based on the first letters of the company's name (i.e TNAH = The Neopian Auction house, TAG =The auction Genie, etc.). -5.16 What is a stock's description for? ======================== A stock's description just basicaly tells you about the company and what it does. It really has no significance and is there just for fun. -5.17 Where can I see the company's competetors? ======================== A copany's competetors is listed in the company's profile page, under it's profile (the profile link is found under the company's name). -5.18 How long does it take for a stock to go up to a high price? ======================== It usually takes a stock to go from 15 nps to 20 in just a week. In two weeks, it might go to 25 nps per share. In three 30, and so on for each extra 5 nps. But also be aware that just because it goes to 25 or 30, it wont always continue to increase. Sometimes it starts to decrease afterwards. And also know that some stocks rocket up in price. For instance, one day LUPE can be 15 nps, and the next it can be 26 and then 35 the day after and then 50 on the fourth day. -5.19 Does Neopet's Stock Market differ from the real one? ======================== Unlike the real stock market, the Stock Market on Neopets doesn't go by how well a shop does. The increase or decrease of a stock is based on a random generator Neopet's uses. Another difference is that the stocks on Neopets never "splits." In real life, if a stock's price goes high enough, it will split (meaning it will double) and go back to a lower price. One good thing about a stock splitting is that you double your shares without even paying for it. And the major difference is the limitations Neopet's places on the stocks. In real life, you can buy however many stocks you like, regardless of it's price. In Neopets, you can only buy 1000 stocks per day, and only if it's over 15 nps per share. -5.20 Do you get any trophies from the stock market? ======================== Unfortunately...no. But it would be a nice feature to add to Neopets. Maybe one day they will create an avatar for Stock Market players. -5.21 Does the market regulate based on how well the shops in Neopia do? ======================== Nope. As stated earlier, each stock's price is randomly changed to a higher or lower amount. Sometimes a stock may follow a pattern, and if you keep a good eye on it, you can tell when it would go up in value, or drop in value. -5.22 Does Nigel ever make enough to buy his car? ======================== Ha! With only 20 nps per commision, Nigel will have to wait awhile untill that Corvette is in his possesion. BTW, automobiles don't exist in Neopia! Too bad nobody told him that! ======================== 6. Stock Market Guide ======================== -6.1 The Stock Market explained. ======================== The stock market is a part of the site where players can invest their money, and play it just like a real stock market. You can buy shares here, sell shares, learn about your favorite Neopian company, and make lots of money. If you like to make money by collecting interest from the bank each day, then the stock market is just for you. Instead of collecting a lousy 100 nps or so each day from the bank, you can make one thousand neopoints per day from the stock market. -6.2 Finding the right stock(s) to buy. ======================== Finding your perfect stock depends on how much money you want to make and how much you are willing to spend. New players should find stocks that are 15 or 16 nps. Though the 15 or 16 nps stocks won't make much every day, it will still be a safe way of learning the stock market. Sometimes, even I buy from the 15 nps shares, if I'm looking for a stock that I won't have to look after for awhile. Players who want to make lots of nps should invest in the higher priced stocks. The ones over 40 nps usually change 6-8 points per cycle. The ones that are 100+ usually change 11 points or more. -6.3 Making Profits ======================== The main and most important goal in the stock market is to make a profit. You make a profit by selling your stocks when they are priced higher than what you paid for them. For example, if you buy 1000 shares of TNAH for 15 nps each, that means you paid a total of 15,000 nps for those shares. Now if the price per share of TNAH goes to 16 nps each the next day or hour, then that means that the total worth of the 1000 shares you own are no longer 15,000 nps, but rather 16,000 nps. So that means that you just made 1,000 nps in profit. Now you can either sell your shares now and make 16,000 nps, or you can wait and take your chances for it to go even higher. 6.4 I've invested money, so now what? ======================== Wait. And remember to check back every day or sooner. If you are like me, and will only sell your stocks if they are 30 or higher, then you can check once ever two days, since it won't be a significant change in price in a day or two. 6.5 Dangers of the Stock Market. ======================== One big danger is that you can lose ALL of your neopoints you have invested into one company. This usaully happens when a company stock goes bankrupt. Though this is a rare occurance, it is still one thing many investors fear. Another danger is that some stocks may hang at a low price for awhile. This is particularly annoying when you need some nps badly, and most of your stocks are less than 9 nps each per share. And just like your bank account, shop till, and trades, your money in the stock market can also be stolen by a scammer, if they have gained access to your account. 6.6 Secrets and Tricks ======================== Though these wont be a secret to many veteran investors out there, I'm sure many of the new ones will find these tricks helpful. -If you find a stock that is priced 15 nps, and has "0 %" change, there is a good chance that it will increase within the next cycle or day. -When a stock goes above 200, there is a chance it will be bankrupt within a week. Neopets does this to make it's rich investors lose tons of money. This is one tell-tale sign that you will lose money. -Stocks that are priced very low (i.e. 6 nps per share), usually go very high up in value in a month or so. These are also the high risk stocks. (more to come)... 6.7 Maintaining your Portfolio ======================== When you are viewing your portfolio, there are many bits of information placed within the tables to help you learn more about your stock. I will list an explain what each of these pieces of information mean. Icon- an icon is a small image representing your company. Some companies will have icons that represents what they do, and some even share the same icon as other companies. Ticker- As explained before, a ticker is the initials of a company. Under the company's ticker symbol, you can find a link to a company's profile. The profile will list your company's competetors, as well as the description of the company you are viewing. Open- This is the price that the stock was at the begining of the day. The current price of a stock should always be compared to this, inorder to determine if it went up or down. Current Price- This is the current price of your stock. This will change hourly. Chg- This is the change in price of your stock. It is found by finding the difference between the open price and the current price. Qty- This section shows how many shares of the stock you own. This will only show you the amount you bought from that company per turn, and not the total combined shares of the company. Paid- This is the amount you paid for each individual share of the company. Mkt Value- This is basically what your stocks for the company are worth. It is found by multiplying the current price by the quantity of shares. % Change- The percentage of change of your stock is represented here. It shows you how much change has occured in your stock, by dividing the amount you paid for the stock by how much it is worth right now. TOTAL- This is one of the most important parts of your portfolio. It tells you how much your entire stocks are worth, in neopoints. This is calculated by adding all of your total shares togther, and then multiplying that total with the total amount of neopoints that stock is currently worth. You can also find this total by adding up all the Mkt Value of your stocks. 6.8 Stock Market Message Board ======================== This can be found at: http://www.neopets.com/neoboards/boardlist.phtml?board=12. Though many investors frequent this board, I for one, am not a big fan of this board. If you visit it, be very cautious of the advice you recieve here. Most of the time, the board will be cluttered with topics like "Buy BOOM! It will skyrocket." Most people who make topics like this, have no idea what they are talking about. There is no real 100% proven method to knowing which stock will increase or decrease. No one, but maybe the Neopets' Team, knows this kind of information. If you take their advice, be carefull, cause it may end up making you lose nps. 6.9 Special Challenges and Accomplishments ======================== I have dedicated this section to any of you who likes a challenge. If you ever complete one of these challenges successfuly, then please email me and let me know. I will give credit to your name. But only email me with proof, such as a log of your stock records. I will not accept email attachments or images, since they can either contian viruses or inapropriate content. None of these are impossible, since I have accomplished each one myself. Anyway, here are the challenges: -With no shares to begin with, try and make 200k (in profit) in one month in your stock market portfolio. This may sound hard, but considering how you can spend 15k per day for a month, you can easily accomplish this goal. -Only invest in the same company for a week, try and make your total portfolio worth over 150k. -With no limitatons, make one mill in a month and a half through stocks. ======================== 7. General Tips ======================== The tips located in this section will benefit you greatly. If you would like to contribute, please email me your tips. -NEVER LISTEN TO THE ADVICE NIGEL THE CHIA GIVES YOU! Sometimes, he will show up as a random event and give you advice on which stocks to buy. 99% of the time, he has no idea what he is talking about. The stocks he recomends are usually already priced too low to buy, or are doing lousy. -Always remember that you have to spend money to make money. This advice will always hold true. -It's always a good idea to buy 1000 shares of a company daily. Remember, you won't get rich from spending only a few hundred neopoints, cause the more you spend, the more you will recieve. -The number one advice anyone can give you on stocks is to "Buy low, sell high." This means, that you should always buy stocks when they are priced low, and sell them when they are high. -If you don't want to run the risk of losing nps, then the stock market isn't for you. -Be careful of the advice you recieve from the message boards. Remember that no one knows 100% on which stocks will do good. -Keep an eye on the patterns of stocks. If a stock sinks fast, then remember to sell, inorder to avoid a loss of profit. -Only invest as much as you can afford to lose. -Be weary if someone asks you how much nps you have in your portfolio. Even though they might not mean harm, there will always be a chnce that they will try to scam you and your nps. -Don't ever be ashamed if you need to sell you stocks, because you are in need of nps. Everyone, including the veterans will come into a situation like this atleast once. -If you see you stock is doing good, don't think that it will stay that way for awhile. Stock prices change all the time, so take advantage of their price increase. -Never "buy" advice from anyone. This means, never pay anyone with items or nps, if they claim they can tell you which stocks will go up. Not only is this against the TOS, but it is also a freezable offence for both them and you. -If you want to make the most money, buy as many shares of the same stock that you can, at when it's 15 nps. If you are new, it is wise to spread your nps at the begining. This way you can be sure you will make some nps. -Every stock has a chance to go over 15 nps per share. So if you invest in a stock, and it drops in price, keep it untill it goes back up, and then you can decide on selling it. -Always keep an eye on how a company's competetors are doing. If the competetors are doing great, then your company might not do so good, but if the competetors are losing value, there is a chance you still will make it big. Companies without competetors act differently than ones that do. -The key most important tip in stocks is to have patience! Patience is what can make you rich. If you buy a stock, you can sell it if it goes 1 or 2 points above your buying value, or you can sit on it for a month or so and wait untill it hits 30, 80, or 100 nps per share. ======================== 8. My Portfolio ======================== In this section, I will list my current stocks as of 1/10/04. I will list it to closely match what my portfolio would look like. Ticker Open Current Chg Qty Paid Mkt Value UNIB 20 21 + 1 1000 15 21,000 NP UNIB 20 21 + 1 1000 15 21,000 NP UNIB 20 21 + 1 1000 15 21,000 NP UNIB 20 21 + 1 1000 15 21,000 NP STFP 8 10 + 2 1000 15 10,000 NP COFL 10 9 -1 1000 15 9,000 NP BOOM 13 15 + 2 1000 15 15,000 NP BOOM 13 15 + 2 1000 15 15,000 NP BOOM 13 15 + 2 1000 15 15,000 NP BUZZ 15 15 0 1000 15 15,000 NP COFL 10 9 -1 1000 15 9,000 NP BUZZ 15 15 0 1000 15 15,000 NP UNIB 20 21 + 1 1000 15 21,000 NP VPTS 6 6 0 1000 15 6,000 NP UNIB 20 21 + 1 1000 15 21,000 NP JCK 201 185 -16 1000 30 185,000 NP JCK 201 185 -16 1000 30 185,000 NP UNIB 20 21 + 1 1000 15 21,000 NP UNIB 20 21 + 1 1000 15 21,000 NP BUZZ 15 15 0 1000 15 15,000 NP BOTT 13 10 -3 1000 15 10,000 NP TPEG 7 7 0 1000 15 7,000 NP STFP 8 10 + 2 1000 15 10,000 NP HUW 7 6 -1 1000 15 6,000 NP COFL 10 9 -1 1000 15 9,000 NP COFL 10 9 -1 1000 15 9,000 NP UNIB 20 21 + 1 1000 15 21,000 NP HUW 7 6 -1 1000 15 6,000 NP BOOM 13 15 + 2 1000 15 15,000 NP KAUF 9 6 -3 1000 15 6,000 NP BOOM 13 15 + 2 1000 15 15,000 NP BOOM 13 15 + 2 1000 15 15,000 NP BUZZ 15 15 0 1000 15 15,000 NP BUZZ 15 15 0 1000 15 15,000 NP TPEG 7 7 0 1000 15 7,000 NP UNIB 20 21 + 1 1000 15 21,000 NP UNIB 20 21 + 1 1000 15 21,000 NP ======================== 9. My Monthly Profits Log ======================== This month isn't over yet, so I will have to include this section with my next update. ======================== 10. Helpful websites ======================== One of the best websites I have seen forthe Neopian Stock Market is: http://www.NeoDaq.com. You can find records of all the stocks from the previous month, and even previous year, to help you. If you have a helpful website, you would like me to put here, please email me the URL of it. ======================== 11. Bugs and Errors ======================== This section is dedicated to any bugs that have occured during my time with the Stock Market. -Market has deleted my entire portfolio and stocks. -Market has listed all of my stocks at the worth of 0 nps. -I've sold all my stocks at once, one time, and I never recieved any of the nps. (more to come).... ======================== 12. FAQ on this Guide ======================== -1. What does "nps or np" mean? ======================== Nps means Neopoints. NP means Neopoint. -2. What does "k" mean, such as "100k"? ======================== "k" in mathematical terms means "thousand". So when you read, "100k", it really means "100,000." -3. When will you update this FAQ? ======================== I'll try to update it every month. -4. I tried to email you, but it said you put me on block. ======================== You probably sent me something I listed for you not to send me. -5. Your email box is full. ======================== I'll try to empty out my inbox every week. I have a busy school and work schedule. -6. You never submitted my work or answer my question ======================== If you don't see your contribution here, it's either because it was inacurate, already written here, or I haven't had the time to reply. I go to school from 6am-5pm, and to work at 5:30pm-1 am everyday, so I barely have enough free time. ======================== 13. Version History ======================== v.01 - Released 1/10/03. First version. ======================== 14. Sites that have permission to use this FAQ ======================== Currently, only GameFaqs.com has permission. ======================== 15. Thanks ======================== I would like to thank Allah for all I have recieved. And a special thanks to you for reading my guide. :P ________________________________ |Copyright by DJMessiah12, 2004 ©|