Guide to stocks

The Wolf of R-Wall Street says: "The main purpose of the stock market is to make fools of as many men as possible. So basically, it fits right in."

Cargo can gain points to buy useful station supplies in two ways: exporting valuable goods to CentComm, and playing the stock market for fun and (maybe) profit. Only one of these can be done from roundstart. Even if you've got a robust mining department and station cooperation to provide the department with a steady flow of exports, Cargo Technicians and Quartermasters will want to master the art of the deal.

Your Console

There are Stock Exchange Consoles in every room in Cargo. These are all-access, so keep an eye on them unless you want random chucklefucks to blow all your precious points on bullshit.

The console can be set to Full or Compact mode. For basic trading, Compact mode will do just fine, but if you want to perform more advanced trades, you will need the full view. Both modes provide the following:

• A listing of all available stocks, their current price, and how many shares (if any) you currently hold.
• A news feed (A) for each stock listing, listing various events that may or may not affect its future share price. Take these with a grain of salt, but they can be useful.
• A graph (H) of the stock's price history. This shows upward and/or downward trajectories over time, and will be invaluable.
• A log of who bought what stocks at what share price. Useful when you want to know why cargo suddenly has 0 points.

Buy Low, Sell High

The basic principle of the stock market: purchase stocks at lower costs and sell them at higher costs. This is a good general rule of thumb, but there is some nuance to it:

• A stock that is low is often low for a reason. If a stock is trading at a very low cost, it's unlikely that it will move much.
• A stock that is high might be on an upswing.
• A very volatile stock might be a risky purchase no matter what its share price.

Generally speaking, to maximize one's profits, invest in the stocks that are rising in value the fastest. These are usually mid-to-high-range in initial share price. Always check the history!

Advanced Stocks

(To be added: guides to shorting, the full console mode, etc)