The Neo-Market Report

by stereolab

The Neo-Market Report

Once again, the Neopian Times is proud to bring to you the insight of Neopia's foremost financial experts, Neil Kauvuto and Maria Blumeroono. In this latest installment our hosts are joined by P.J. Grundonn, Director of Operations for The Presidential Palace, the most prominent casino and resort hotel in all of Neopia. And now, here are our hosts, Neil and Maria…

KAUVUTO: Hi and welcome to this week's edition of The Neo-Market Report. I'm your host Neil Kauvuto, and as always I am joined by my lovely co-host Maria Blumaroono, who joins us from the News Desk with the latest news from the floor of the exchange. Maria, how are things going today?

BLUMAROONO: Well Neil, the big story on the floor this week, and for that matter the past few weeks, has been the unprecedented rise of Chiatech Password Security. When one remembers that just as recent as six weeks ago this company was in shambles amidst the ruins of the "Password" scandal, the fact that it now stands at 259,000 NP's a share is even more phenomenal. Although Chiatech has owned the headlines, there have been other companies which have made favourable showings during the week. Other top performers have included Yippee! whose value has skyrocketed since "Black Thursday" a few weeks ago, and Chia Steel Holdings, which posted strong earnings in the wake of increased public works throughout Neopia Central.

KAUVUTO: As could be expected, a number of top stocks have tumbled considerably in the wake of Chiatech's unbelievable surge. Among those who have seen their investors jump on the Chiatech bandwagon are Kacheek Telecomm, whose value has dropped nearly 60,000 NP's a share in a single week, and Neggwork Commerce, which has seen it's value evaporate from over 50,000 NP's a month ago to being worth less than 19,000 NP a share today.

BLUMAROONO: We are fortunate to be joined today by P.J. Grundonn, the Director of Operations for The Presidential Palace. As many of you know, The Presidential Palace is Neopia's most extravagant vacation spot, and is known for its luxurious hotel and palatial casino. Mr. Grundonn, thanks for joining us today…

P.J.: Thanks Maria, it's a pleasure to be here…

BLUMAROONO: Now, with the Neopian economy experiencing a period of relative prosperity, it appears that your business has really picked up. In what ways do you think the overall economy has affected your business?

P.J.: To be quite honest with you Maria, it's not the overall market that has much of an effect on how much business we do. You see, if the economy is good, then your everyday Joe and his family are the ones who become our customers. However, if the economy is bad, then it's the big spenders who'll frequent The Presidential Palace. So regardless of how the economy is doing we're going to get our money anyway. What really matters as to how we're doing is how we are perceived; if your customers don't regard you as the ultimate in luxury and extravagance, then regardless of how much money they have they're going to be spending it somewhere else…

KAUVUTO: So if our economic prosperity isn't responsible for your recent upswing, then what is?

P.J.: Our prosperity is directly tied to being perceived as the best resort hotel in all Neopia. Now, if people perceive us as the best and we're unable to deliver, then the way we're perceived will change from being "The Presidential Palace is the best…" to being "The Presidential Palace: they used to be the best, but now they're just expensive and overrated." So our personal prosperity is staked to our ability to maintain that reputation for being the best. And how do we stay the best? It's a simple two-part formula. First, we have the best people. Second, we spare no expense. I mean, how can you put a dollar value on maintaining your reputation as the best? And so, with the best service humanly possible and a commitment to luxury at any cost, we are able to live up to our guests' expectations.

KAUVUTO: Well that's going to do it for us this week. We'd like to thank our special guest P.J. Grundonn of The Presidential Palace for stopping by. For Maria Blumaroono this is Neil Kauvuto saying thank you and good night.