The Neo-Market Report

By stereolab

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of The Neo-Market Report. In addition to covering the hottest news from the floor of the exchange, The Neopian Times' resident financial experts will be joined by the enigmatic CEO of Balthazar's Faerie Bottling, Inc. the one and only Balthazar the Bounty Hunter. And now, here are Neil and Maria…

KAUVUTO: Hi and thanks for joining us for another installment of The Neo-Market Report. I am your host Neil Kauvuto, and as always I am joined by my lovely and talented co-host Maria Blumaroono, who's at the News Desk with the latest news from The Exchange. Maria…

BLUMAROONO: Well folks, it's been another slow week in the market as trading continues to be relatively sparse. With many investors losing their shirts in last month's crash, it seems that few of them appear ready to give the market another go. However, those who've decided to stick it out during this Bear Market are finding a number of companies posting strong returns. Leading the charge is The Neopian Auction House, whose Chairman John Blumarion joined us last week. The Auction House followed last week's two hundred point jump with another boost of nearly four hundred points a share this week. And once again, both the Unis Beauty Salon and Faerie Clothing Ltd. celebrated significant jumps of their own, with the Salon climbing two hundred and seventy points a share and Faerie Clothing jumping over sixty points a share.

KAUVUTO: However, as the Neodaq languishes in the 360 to 370 range, most of the stocks on The Big Board continue to sink like a stone. Of those taking hits on the floor this week, the biggest loser continues to be Neggwork Commerce, whose value dropped another hundred and fifty points this week, a startling turn of events after being at the four thousand mark just weeks ago. Other companies with the dubious honour of leading the charge down the drain include Yippee!, who dropped another hundred points this week, and Chia Steel, which posted a ninety point decline of its own.

BLUMAROONO: Now we have the great privilege to be joined by one of Neopia's most mysterious entrepreneurs, the infamous Balthazar the Bounty Hunter of Balthazar's Faerie Bottling, Inc. Balthazar, glad to have you join us…

BALTHAZAR: I'm glad to be here. Thanks for having me over.

BLUMAROONO: Well, it appears that business couldn't be better for you. With the imminent arrival of the Battledome, the demand for Faeries has never been greater. How has this surge in demand affected your business?

BALTHAZAR: To be honest with you, it's actually had its ups and downs. I mean, people are willing to pay more for the Faeries and all, but they're getting harder to track down each day. It's kind of like the supply is getting depleted. So actually the negatives are pretty much counteracting the positives. Not to mention that, when people see the prices being paid for these Faeries, you start to get amateurs coming out of the woodwork looking to make a few quick points. But what they don't realize is that, even for someone like me whose been at this for a while, Faeries are starting to get really hard to track down. So if it's tough for me, then what chance do they have, you know what I mean?

KAUVUTO: Point taken. You mentioned earlier that people are now willing to pay more for Faeries. Has there been a noticeable spike in cost since the Billion Neopoint Lottery?

BALTHAZAR: Yeah…the cost of a Faerie has almost doubled since the Lottery, cause see when you go and give someone a half-million NPs, the first thing they're gonna do is run out and buy up all the Faeries. But to me the money part of it is kind of abstract. In my day-to-day search for Faeries, that aspect doesn't really enter into the equation. At the end of the day, regardless of how much money I've got, I've still gotta get out there and find them.

BLUMAROONO: So what do you think the future has in store for the Faerie Market?

BALTHAZAR: Really, who's to say? I mean, hopefully once the Battledome's open you're gonna see an even bigger jump in demand for Faeries. That's what I hope, at least. But, as I mentioned earlier, greater demand just makes my job even harder than it already is. So, I don't know, we'll see…

KAUVUTO: Well that's going to do if for us this week. Thanks for joining us, and we'll see you again next week here at The Neo-Market Report.