From Lester's Assassination Missions to high-frequency trading, we're sharing proven methods for consistent gains.
The GTA V stock market can be a lucrative way to grow your in-game cash reserves, but it takes some know-how to maximize your profits. In this guide, we'll share practical tips and strategies for investing in stocks on the LCN and BAWSAQ exchanges.
Whether you're a beginner investor or looking to optimize your portfolio after completing the game's main missions, these methods will help you navigate GTA 5's stock market and make smart trades. We'll cover:
The "Lester Assassination Missions" method of investing in GTA 5's stock market is probably the most fool-proof method to make money in in the game, and lots of it too.
We have a page dedicated to Lester's Assassination Missions here.
Basically, it boils down buying and sell specific stocks before and after you complete the assassination missions for Lester (which are a big part of the single player story line).
You should not invest in LifeInvader or Richards Majestic. LifeInvader will decrease in value after Friend Request, and Richards Majestic decreases at a later point in the game. The key issue with these two is that they never regain their original values.
Vangelico will decrease in value after The Jewel Store Job and increase after Minor Turbulence, for about a 40% return if you buy at its low and sell at its high.
FlyUS will decrease in value by about 50% after Legal Trouble and increase to its original value after Meltdown, for a 100% return if you buy at its low and sell at its high.
Cluckin' Bell will decrease in value after Paleto Score and Gruppe Sachs will decrease in value after The Big Score (subtle version). These two, along with Augury Insurance and Merryweather (which do not decrease in value during the game), will increase for high returns based on your ending decision.
Cluckin' Bell will increase to its original value if you go with The Third Way (Deathwish) ending choice, for about a 65% return if you buy at its low and sell at its high. Gruppe Sachs will also increase to its original value, for about a 30% — 35% return if you buy at its low and sell at its high. Augury Insurance will double in value, for a 100% return.
However, if you pick The Third Way, Merryweather will decrease in value by over 50% and never return to its original value. To make money by investing in Merryweather, you should choose The Time's Come. It will increase in value for about a 250% return.
This only works for LCN stocks and do make it worthwhile you need A LOT of money. For this reason it is good to do after you've finished all of Lester's assassination missions, for example. You should also know that the prices of the LCN stocks will refresh every 45 seconds while you're doing this.
This can be a little annoying (having to wait through a lot of saving screens) but it can also be worthwhile provided you are investing a lot of money to begin with. The incremental changes won't be massive (maybe a few cents per price change) but they add up if you have loads of money riding on it...
Head out on a mission of destruction and then immediately put some money into AugeryInsurance stock (AUG). When you destroyed lots of cars by damaging them, it should have caused the stock price to go down. Then after a while (and given you've stopped destroying things) the stock should shoot right back up.
When you're playing GTA V there will always be one particular stock on the LCN market that fluctuates within a set range (well pretty much a set range).
If you can find that stock and know it's range, then it's just a matter of continuously trading it to make money! When it goes down into the bottom of the trading range, buy it. Then when it goes up to the top, sell it!
Note that the stock in question for your game will not be one affected by the Assassination Missions (ie Debonaire Cigarettes, Redwood or GoldCoast).
This table is useful because what is good for one company (i.e. its stock price will increase) will often be bad for its competitor (its stock price will decrease). So, if certain events happen in the game that might be good or bad for specific companies, you have a better idea of what stocks you should buy.
| Competitor 1 | Competitor 2 |
|---|---|
| CoolBeans | BeanMachine |
| Burgershot | Up-An-Atom |
| Clucking Bell | TacoBomb |
| FlyUS | AirEmu |
| GoPostal | PostOP |
| Bilkington | DollarPills |
| Pisswasser | Logger |
| MazeBank | BankOfLiberty |
| Redwood | Debonaire |
| Slaughter, Slaughter & Slaughter | Bullhead |
| RadioLosSantos | WorldwideFM |
| eCola | Raine |
| Merryweather | GruppeSechs |
Our eCola stock market guide has its own page here. By following the steps you can earn a ton of money early on in single player mode.
If you listen often to talk back radio stations then you're more likely to hear about stock tips. If you do happen to hear something, load up on the stock being discussed to profit.
Here's a way to score some cheap stock and then also increase its value.
This tactic hinges on the company rivalry/competitor system, and is centered around the Los Santos International Airport. If you check out our chart above, you'll note that AirEMU and FlyUS are rival airline companies, and this can be used to earn big time. Before starting this, make sure to save your game so you have a restore point with all your money in case something goes wrong.
To start out, you need to purchase all the AirEMU stock that you can. After that, start destroying FlyUS planes at the airport. There should be plenty, and the large liveries on the sides of the planes will let you know what airline they belong to. By destroying the planes, you can steadily decrease FlyUS' market value, thus increasing AirEMU.
By piloting FlyUS planes and crashing them, you can decrease their value by a greater magnitude, but this is pretty time-consuming. After you have destroyed a bunch of planes, commit suicide or go to sleep at one of your properties, but do not save the game. Check the stock market a few times, and keep killing yourself/sleeping until the profit percentage increases. I can go as high as 10%, but if it stops increasing after a while just get your winnings and sell as high as you can.
Ideally this is best done later in the game when you have serious cash to invest...
Each trading day on the stock market begins at 8am (except weekends), so if you are advancing time, then make sure you check it at 8am each day. Advancing time via sleeping will put your forward 8 hours.
And if you want to advance time more quickly/efficiently, you don't have to actually save. Instead just go head into the save screen when at a bed and then exit. This is enough to advance time.
Matt's obsession with the Grand Theft Auto series began in 2001 when he rented GTA III from his local video store. He has played through every GTA release since.
Anticipating the launch craziness around GTA 5 in 2012, Matt created GTA5Cheats.com (now GTA BOOM) to report the latest news and rumors.
As owner and developer, Matt continues improving GTA BOOM daily to build the ultimate resource for GTA fans. When he's not editing content or enhancing the site's functionality, you'll find Matt updating the vast game guide library together with fellow staff member Hassan Sajid.
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