Hello and thank you for joining us as we present this week's edition of The Neopian News Brief, your all-in-one guide to the latest events from the world of Neopia. There is quite a lot to discuss today, so let's get started...
 Our lead item this week is the arrival of the ghost paint brush. Thanks to the addition of this latest style, your pets can now visit the Rainbow Pool and really get into the "spirit" of Halloween. The stampede to transform regular Neopets into haunting apparitions began on Wednesday, when Moehogs and Shoyrus became the first species available in this new style. Thursday saw Jetsams, Aishas, and Chias joining the fray, much to the delight of their owners. With Halloween quickly approaching, it's pretty safe to say that there'll be plenty of demand for ghost pb's in the days and weeks to come.
 During these past few days, the Rainbow Pool has truly become Neopia's place to be. Along with the arrival of ghost paint brushes, this week also saw a number of species take on some new paint brush styles. On Monday, the release of orange Peophins meant a debut for the new yellow Peophin. This arrival was joined by the premiere of pink Kacheeks and Halloween Meercas. With so many new styles arriving, there's never been a better time to get your pets painted!
 With Starry Scorchios making their way into Limited Too stores throughout the U.S., Tuesday saw the unveiling of Starry Scorchio items. If you are really, really lucky, your collectable card may contain a code that can be redeemed for one of these items, such as a Starry Scorchio amulet or wand.
 However, in order to keep their rarities high (and values up), not all of the Starry Scorchio cards will have codes that give out Starry Scorchio items. Instead, you might receive a Cybunny Bank or White Aisha Cake, which are not Starry Scorchio-related. If this happens, it's not some sort of glitch or error; it's just a way for the Starry Scorchio items to be worth more than 500 NPs a week after they're released ; )
 Ever since making its debut on Tuesday, Santa Clause 2: Wheel of Words has slowly picked up a reputation as a great way to earn easy NPs in a hurry. After playing a few times and learning the puzzles, you can really clean up by saving the most common letters for when you land on the jackpots. Additionally, the game allows you to send out customised Christmas lists, which can tell your friends and family what you would like to find under the tree this year. The best part is, you get twenty-five NPs for each list that you send, so you can earn up to 750 NPs a day sending out lists. Not too shabby...
 Okay, so they might not have ghost pb's (not yet, at least) but that doesn't mean that the Petpets couldn't get in on all this paint brush action. On Monday, lucky Sludgy owners got the chance to paint their beloved Petpets one of four new colours: pink, green, spotted, and cloud. Then, on Thursday, Bearogs became available in red, pink, green and cloud.
 As you all know, with Halloween on the way, some of the less-popular spooky Petpets have been replaced with new Petpets during the past few weeks. Well, on Monday a quartet of new spooky Petpets was introduced. Now, your pet can have a Furwitch, Candy Vampire, Snorlkin, or Gremble as their very own spooky little sidekick.
 After last week's triumphant artichoke bomb sale at the Smuggler's Cove, a formidable task faced shopkeepers throughout Neopia. How could they possibly come up with something to top such an incredible item? Well, a number of them took up the challenge, and after many rugged days of hunting high and low, it was the Hidden Tower that succeeded in unveiling... the Yo-Yo of Death! That's right, now you can loop the loop, walk the dog, and crack your foes upside the skull! Okay, so perhaps brandishing a yo-yo is about as intimidating as bringing a "Tiddlywink of Doom" to the Battledome, but take our word for it... this is one yo-yo that's NOT to be toyed with!
 With the week drawing to a close, all of Neopia gathered to celebrate their favourite fanged flyers. That's right, it could only be... the Korbats! Even thought the festivities began a day early, on Friday Korbats received the full compliment of books, Battledome weapons and baked goods, as well as three more paint brush styles (baby, Halloween, and ghost). There were also Korbats featured in this week's Caption and Poetry Contests, as well as Friday's Pet Spotlight. Way to go, Korbats!
 Now, it's time to look at today's stories from the world of finance. With three straight weeks of staggering losses, most investors had no idea what to expect from the market. Most had given up on a "rebound rally" by this point, while others seemed certain that the economy couldn't possibly sink any lower. So then, when The Big Board closed out the week with a relatively modest sixteen-point loss, most financial forecasters breathed a guarded sigh of relief.
 With the steep slide of past weeks seemingly under control, many analysts are ready to step forward and declare this prime bargain-hunting season. One such possible steal might be Jacko and Sons Painting Ltd., which was one of three companies that jumped over the 15 NP mark when their shares climbed an impressive ten points. Despite inhospitable market conditions, Chiatech Password Security joined Jacko and Sons, also seeing their stock jump ten NPs.
 However, the rest of the economy remained locked in the jaws of a vicious Bear Market. Among those taking the biggest hit, once again, was The Neopian Auction House, whose shares fell for the fourth consecutive week, stumbling another fourteen points. Mynci Imports, the Big Board's second most valuable company, also suffered terribly. They fell nine points, closing the week out at thirty-two NPs a share.
 Following last week's report on the recent profits turned by Virtupets, a closer look today reveals that this mysterious company manages to hold steady, even gaining a point while other companies continue losing their shirts. Throughout Neopia, cries of "foul play!" have been raised against those who place their NP with this nefarious corporation. Many ask if it's ethical to profit from a company that appears thoroughly involved in so many misdeeds. Meanwhile, others respond that, without concrete evidence of any wrongdoing, it makes no sense not to jump on the Virtupets bandwagon, especially when things are going so poorly for the rest of the economy.
So then, is now really the time to take the plunge, or will this Bear Market continue to roar? Will The Neopian Auction House finally bounce back, or will they be superceded by rising stars like Jacko and Sons, Chiatech Security, or even (dare we say it) Virtupets?!? Only time will tell....
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