Hello and thank you for joining us as we present this week’s edition of The Neopian News Brief, your one-stop source for all the latest news from the world of Neopia.
 Our lead story this week has to be Wednesday’s debut of the Back to School Shop, which not only saw the release of three cool new items (the Wobbly Pen, Sloth Ruler, and Purple Pencil Case), but also mentioned the possibility that NeoSchools “may be coming in the future.” However, on Thursday the arrival of NeoSchools was made all the more probable when three more items were released, accompanied by the statement, “NeoSchools are on the way!!!” And so, as Back to School items continue to enter the marketplace, it would certainly look like Neopians should be getting ready to hit the books!
 Another major news item has been the arrival of Grundo Squash, an awesome new game featuring Zygron the Grundo. Zygron is a young squash player, looking to climb the rankings and become an All-Star. However, despite a wealth of natural ability, Zygron is still learning the basics of the game. Should he stay back and allow himself more time to run down the ball, or should Zygron charge forward and go after those power-ups? With your help, Zygron hopes to one day master the strategies and tactics needed to reach the top.
 Also making news this week is the release of three more statues for your NeoHome Gardens. Thanks to the overwhelming response that accompanied the first wave of ceramic statues, it’s good to see the folks at the Garden Centre springing into action and blessing Neopia’s budding horticulturists with another trio of lawn sculptures. Hopefully, as the number of statues goes up, maybe we’ll actually see the prices level off a bit…
Once you’ve dotted your lawn with sculptures and gnomes, don’t forget to go out and pick up one of the cool new garden items that came out this week. Our favourite is the Bonsai Chia, which is sure to drive those pesky Lupes next-door crazy… hehe ; )
 There’s also been a great deal of buzz surrounding the Battledome’s newest challenger, the Chia Clown. Coming in with a mere ten hit points, you might wonder why there’d be any interest surrounding this pesky buffoon. Well, here’s the thing; after a visit to the Healing Springs left my pet partially restored (he’d only recouped 42 of his usual 91 HP), I decided to challenge the Chia Clown. Needless to say, after he’d tasted the wrath of my Attack Fork, I returned to the status page to find that my pet was back at FULL HP!!!
However, keep in mind that the Chia Clown’s HP increases by a point each time you defeat him, so you might want to save such challenges for occasions when waiting for the Healing Springs or spending hundreds of NP in the Water Faerie’s shop aren’t an option.
 And now, it’s time to take a look at the top stories coming from the Neopian Stock Market. For the third straight week, the Neodaq has posted a substantial gain, climbing an incredible one hundred and eight points, its biggest increase during the month of Awakening. Among those leading the way is Dice-A-Roo Industries, whose shares skyrocketed a whopping twenty-six NPs. Despite a stiff challenge from Krawps, many analysts are confident that King Roo’s company will continue to dominate the market. Also posting a healthy profit this week were the swashbucklers from The Smuggler’s Cove, who pulled in a tidy sum for bringing those nifty Metal Wands to market on Wednesday.
However, as any investor will tell you, whenever the market becomes particularly Bullish, there’s always the risk of inflation. And so, with the Neodaq climbing over two hundred and fifty points in less than three weeks, it comes as no surprise to many that the cost of living in Neopia has suddenly gone up. While wandering the shops, it’s readily apparent that inflation has started to kick in, as the price for many of Neopia’s basic necessities have taken a substantial leap. Will these sudden price hikes lead to a correction in the market, or will Neopian stock portfolios be worth so much that it won’t matter?
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