In keeping with centuries-old tradition, Animal Crossing: New Horizons features an economics mini-game known as the Sow Jones Stalk Market, wherein turnips are bought and sold in the pursuit of unfathomable profit. It’s Capitalism, but it’s adorable Capitalism (much like the rest of New Horizons), and if you know what you’re doing, you can turn a meager amount of Bells into a considerable fortune in just a few weeks.
While the Stalk Market remains a viable money making method for the solely solo villager, New Horizons‘ multiplayer capabilities add an addition layer of strategy and (some might say jolly) cooperation to the art of buying low and selling high. Friend of the Site™, Drowning a Mermaid Associate Producer, and Keyblade Master Natalie Watson has created a Google Sheet that lets players track and chart their own turnip prices, as well as the prices of their friends, in order to maximize the selling potential of an entire community, rather than just one player.
But first, a little turnip economics 101: A sweet little pig named Daisy Mae will arrive on your island every Sunday , selling turnips until noon for somewhere between 80 and 110 Bells per unit — the number of turnips available is limited only by the size of your wallet. These turnips can then be sold to Timmy and Tommy Nook Monday through Saturday, and that’s where the strategy comes in. As with the real-world (read: evil) stock market, the turnip prices on the Stalk Market vary from day to day, and even within the same day. Timmy and Tommy Nook will quote one turnip price before noon and a different price after noon, which may be higher or lower.
Tracking these daily price fluctuations is the key to learning which of four predetermined turnip price patterns your island is experiencing that week, which lets you know when to sell for maximum profit, or the least loss possible. And if you’re thinking “well, if I have a bad week I’ll just save my turnips until next week,” that’s how they get you. Daisy Mae’s turnips spoil after one week, losing all monetary value.
But because Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a multiplayer game, players experiencing a bad week with their own Stalk Market can visit the island of a pal, where turnip prices still work out to a profit. That’s where Watson’s Google Sheet comes in: By tracking the morning and afternoon prices of everyone you know, you can (eventually, with practice) predict which of your friends is going to experience the biggest jump in turnip value and when, thus ensuring that everyone in your circle makes bingo bango Bells ahead of next Sunday.
(That’s assuming your friend is willing to cooperate, of course. They can always choose to keep their gates closed and reap the rewards of the community’s labor, thus creating a class (and therefore, power) divide in your friend group that cannot and will not heal, ever, just like when friends get rich in the real world.)
Watson’s Stalk Market tracker includes step-by-step instructions for putting it to use in your community, as well as a thorough explanation (with example graphs!) of the four different turnip price patters, so you can be up and running in a matter of minutes.
