I signed up at HSX about 6 years ago. They “gave me $2,000,000 with which to buy “shares in celebrities and movies. Sometime, around Jan. 1, 2005, my portfolio fell below the $2,000,000 mark. I was now worth less than they gave me. Today, I am worth $1,991,459.08. Ok, Im in freefall.
My portfolio:
Ive made money on Adam Sandler (ASAND), Bill Murray (BMURR), Clive Owen (CLOWE), Holly Hunter (HHNTR), Johnny Depp (JDEPP), Jennifer Jason Leigh (JJLEI), John Cusak (JOHNC), Patricia Clarkson (PPERA), Piper Perabo (PPERA), Philip Seymour Hoffman (PSHOF) and Ridley Scott (RSCOT).
You would expect these stocks to do well. Adam Sandler is the Peoples Choice. Bill Murray the unlikely Gielgud of our time. Holly Hunter is so talented she stole Timecode with 5 minutes of screen time (and one quarter of the screen).
But look where I did badly. Don Cheadle? We will forgive him Oceans 11 and 12 and the cockney accent. But this guy is talent with a capital T. Ok, Jennifer Lopez was a bone headed move, but I bought her before the fall. Kevin Spacey. This is talent with two Ts. Sam Rock? Ditto. Tony Shaloub is headed for the big time as is Ving Rhames now that they have USA Network series.
My sign-on name “essex. (An Elizabethan association suggested by hsx?) And here is my password: 2622. Feel free to sign on. You are welcome to buy and sel as you pleasel.
My strategy is to create a decision market within a decision market. Besides, the blogging idea is the decision market idea: we are smarter as a group than we are as individuals. So lets all sign on and make me some money!
References
The HSX website is here
Surowiecki, James. 2004. Decisions, Decisions. [on “decision markets.] The New Yorker. Available on line here.
HSX as defined by HSX:
At HSX.com, visitors buy and sell virtual shares of celebrities, movies and music with a currency called the Hollywood Dollar®.The Company’s Virtual SpecialistTM technology allows an unlimited number of consumers to trade thousands of virtual entertainment securities in a fair and orderly, supply-and-demand-based market.
post script
Since I posted this entry, there has been quite a lot of activity on my account on HSX.com. Someone decided to short Adam Sandler, for instance. It would be great if our phantom investors would leave us a comment, explaining why they did what they did. This would be at least as interesting as the investment activity, and a chance to hear comments on contemporary culture.
Gah. I was game, until I encountered that interface. I’m sure it’s authentic as hell, but I don’t know jack about how stock market stuff is displayed, communicated, etc. and I lost all interest.
Grant, you thought I was going to LEARN something? Hah.
Okay, sarcasm aside, for a minute, at least – it sounds like a really fun experiment but the barrier to entry seems too high for me.
Exposed for the moron or lazy-ass I really am,
Steve
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I don’t know why the phantom reader shorted Sandler, but I know why I would: Spanglish.
The best way to grow your portfolio is to take positions in upcoming movies. In the next month a whole flock of movies are being released – how well do you think they are going to do?
For example, The Amityville Horror is currently trading at H$67.68 – do you think that this movie will earn $67,680,000 in the next 4 weeks? If not, you short the stock. If you think it will do better, buy it. The game can be as simple as that.
If you don’t mind investing a little time, a good source of information is found on the various fansites, such as hsbr.net. They publish a guide for new players that you may find helpful. There is also plenty of good advice on the site itself.
I hope you find this helpful.
HSX Toby
The best way to grow your portfolio is to take positions in upcoming movies. In the next month a whole flock of movies are being released – how well do you think they are going to do?
For example, The Amityville Horror is currently trading at H$67.68 – do you think that this movie will earn $67,680,000 in the next 4 weeks? If not, you short the stock. If you think it will do better, buy it. The game can be as simple as that.
If you don’t mind investing a little time, a good source of information is found on the various fansites, such as hsbr.net. They publish a guide for new players that you may find helpful. There is also plenty of good advice on the site itself.
I hope you find this helpful.
HSX Toby