POWR Failure!

Plummeting Share Prices Befuddle Investors... OR DO THEY?

Anyone who has visited the Neopian Stock Market (NEODAQ), has seen it. The ticker scrolls along, prices for assorted stocks averaging between 6 and 50. Then it appears. Can it be right? Can a Neopian stock really cost that much? Oh yes. POWR, the ticker symbol for Power-X Corp. usually hovers at a price of almost 600 neopoints per share. It is the only one of its kind. You may be curious... what kind of company would have such funding? The truth is, nobody knows. The offices of Power-X have always looked deserted when viewed from the outside, save for the steam rising out of several industrials chimneys. Nobody ever goes in; nobody ever goes out. There are rumors abound, of course, but nobody knows for sure where the funding came from, what it is used for, or even how the company has managed to turn a profit ever since its inception. Now, many who maintain a NEODAQ portfolio consider the stock out of reach, since it requires a sizeable investment to obtain any meaningful amount of shares, but it has always been a solid buy for those not afraid to make a large investment. POWR has a tendency to make larger gains than the rest of the NEODAQ stock choices, which means that investors may potentially see a significant return on their investment far more quickly than if they chose a safer, cheaper stock. It has always been a gamble, but POWR stands out as a stock that has maintained a value in the stratosphere.

That is why recent market trends have rocked investors to the core, blown up the chat boards, and made for some of the wildest trading of the year. Over the last several weeks, the price of POWR has been sliding steadily down. As of the 23rd day of Storing, the price per share has dipped below 400 for the first time in recent memory.

Nigel the Chia may be the most recognizable Neopian associated with the NEODAQ, but he is certainly not the only one with hot stock tips for the offering. Investors galore can be found on the Stock chat boards, charting trends on petpages, and often, just staring at the ticker in frustration or glee. The initial drop in POWR led many flocking to Nigel to pick up shares in massive quantities. After all, Power-X Corp. is THE stock. But then it went down again. Then down some more. Some were unshakable and insisted that this just made for better buying. The largest dip in POWR thus far occurred on a day where the market itself did poorly... down a total of almost fifty neopoints. NEODAQ records indicate that over 120,000 shares of POWR were purchased in that day alone. Anticipated profits have yet to materialize, but investors have rationalized that, after all, the month of Giving rapidly approaches. Consumption of all things Neopian is anticipated to reach record levels before the year is through. Power-X Corp. will benefit from the rush of shoppers, the stock will skyrocket, and everyone will be a winner. POWR has got to go back up... probably even higher than before... right?

Perhaps not. Recent rumors of shady dealings between the POWR board of trustees and one Dr. Frank Sloth has destabilized investor faith in the brand, which has never really been forthcoming about what actually goes on behind the closed and dead-bolted locks of their corporate headquarters. In fact, the Sloth information was only leaked when a lone mutant symol managed to burrow under the barbed wire fence surrounding the building. Stuck to the oozing slime that plagues all mutant petpets were pieces of the shredded paper he had used to line his burrow’s nest while on the “inside”. When reassembled, the paper was shown to have scribbled notes on Power-X corporate letterhead about a possible takeover (but who is doing the taking over?), and plans for a large Neocola ad campaign with company funds. Most telling of all, though, were the doodles in the margins that Dr. Sloth has been known to scribble. “Bow down,” “I’m taking over,” “I hate the Space Faerie,” etc.

Could this really be the reason the prices have dipped so dramatically? Other theories include the possibility that the Power-X treasurer has an unfortunate fondness for bilge dice and has started dipping in to company funds to cover his recent losing streak. A mysterious Wocky in a trench coat was spied sitting at the special, 10,000 NP per round, “high roller” bilge dice table for 17 hours straight some time last week. He did not show his face, but witnesses reported a lapel pin with the word POWER superimposed over a large letter “X”, which is the same logo that was noted on the aforementioned corporate letterhead. Players who spent time at the same table reported that the Wocky failed to obtain the necessary qualifying “four” dice roll a whopping 4389 rounds in a row! In between his sweating, twitching, and dice rolling, he was overheard mumbling “Oh, what’s the big deal, I’ll just borrow a little bit more and I will replace it when I finally have my lucky streak. I need both of those avatars, and nothing is going to stop me!” Unconfirmed reports have indicated that the unnamed Wocky lost between seventeen and twenty million neopoints. Is he dipping into the company coffers? Again, it is only a rumor...

There is another, less vocal, sect that suspects malicious action by competing organization Chia Steel Holdings (CHIA). Investors have not given their grumbling too much credence, because the sect is spearheaded by a pair of stockbroker Lupes who have been offering to remedy the sabotage by simply barging into the CHIA headquarters and eating every Chia in sight.

One thing is for sure – the Neopian public will never know the full story. Power-X has NEVER made a statement since its introduction to the market. All Neopian investors can do is wait, watch the prices, and hope that the price of POWR doesn’t decline to the point where authorities will pull the plug on trading. No one wants POWR to fizzle (sizzle?) out.