> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.classcents.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Investments

> How to use the investment market to grow your classroom currency

## What is the Investment Market?

The Investment Market lets you take some of your classroom currency and invest it in a simulated stock market. You can buy shares in companies, watch prices change, and sell for a profit — or a loss! It teaches real-world skills like:

* How the stock market works
* Risk vs. reward
* Portfolio diversification
* Reading profit and loss

<Info>
  Your investment balance is completely separate from your main classroom balance. Money you invest won't accidentally get spent on rewards.
</Info>

## Getting Started

### Accessing Investments

If your teacher has enabled the market, you'll see an **Investments** tab in your navigation menu. Tap it to open your investment dashboard.

### Transferring Money In

You start with \$0 in your investment account (unless your teacher grants a starting balance). To fund your account:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Investments page">
    Tap **Investments** in your navigation.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tap Transfer In">
    Click the **Transfer In** button on the Cash tile.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter an amount">
    Type how much you want to move from your main balance into your investment account. You'll see your updated balances in the preview before confirming.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Transfers are one-way — you can move money **into** investments from your main balance, but not back out. Only transfer what you're willing to invest!
</Warning>

***

## Your Investment Dashboard

The dashboard has four summary tiles at the top:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Cash" icon="wallet">
    Your uninvested investment balance — money ready to buy shares with. Shows a **Transfer In** button to add more.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Stocks" icon="chart-bar">
    The current market value of all the shares you own.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Total Value" icon="dollar-sign">
    Your Cash + Stocks combined. This is everything in your investment account.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Gain / Loss" icon="trending-up">
    Your total unrealized profit or loss across all current holdings. Green means you're up, red means you're down.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## Buying Shares

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find a company">
    Scroll down to the **Available Assets** grid. Each card shows the company's current price and how much it has moved from its starting price.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Buy">
    Tap **Buy** on a company card. The market must be **Open** to trade.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose how many shares">
    Enter the number of shares you want to buy. The total cost updates as you type. You can't buy more than your cash balance allows.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the trade">
    Tap **Buy** to complete the purchase. Your cash balance decreases and your holding appears in the **Holdings** section.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  You can filter assets by type using the **All / Stocks / Commodities / Luxuries** tabs above the grid.
</Tip>

***

## Selling Shares

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find your holding">
    Open the **Holdings** table or click **Sell** directly on a company card (only visible when you own shares).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter shares to sell">
    Enter how many shares to sell — you can sell all or just some.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the sale">
    Tap **Sell**. The proceeds go straight back to your Cash balance at the current market price.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Understanding Your Holdings

The Holdings table shows each position you currently own:

| Column       | What it means                                                           |
| ------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Shares**   | How many shares you own                                                 |
| **Avg Cost** | The average price you paid per share                                    |
| **Value**    | Current market value of your position                                   |
| **P\&L**     | Your profit or loss on this holding (current value minus what you paid) |

<Info>
  P\&L is **unrealized** — it only becomes real when you sell. A +$5.00 P&L means you'd pocket $5.00 extra if you sold right now.
</Info>

***

## The News Feed

Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the **News Feed**. Your teacher can fire news events that affect prices — for example:

* *"Tech Boom"* — Technology stocks surge
* *"Oil Crisis"* — Energy sector drops
* *"Gold Rush"* — Commodity prices spike

Watch the news feed to anticipate what might happen to your investments!

***

## Frequently Asked Questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The market shows 'Market Closed' — what does that mean?">
    Your teacher has temporarily closed trading. You can still view your portfolio and prices but can't buy or sell until the market reopens.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why is my P&L showing $0?">
    P\&L is \$0 when the current price exactly matches what you paid (your average cost). It will change as prices move up or down.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I lose more than I invested?">
    No. Prices can drop but never to zero. Your cash balance also can't go negative — you can only spend what you have.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I transfer money back to my main balance?">
    Not currently. Only transfers from your main balance into investments are supported. Manage how much you invest carefully!
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do prices change?">
    Prices drift automatically every minute while the market is open. Each asset moves slightly based on its volatility — high-volatility assets like Crypto and Gems swing more visibly, while stable assets like Real Estate barely move. When the market is **closed**, prices freeze exactly where they are. When your teacher reopens the market, the % change display resets to 0% from the current price, even though the actual prices haven't changed. Your teacher can also fire news events for instant, dramatic changes — watch the news feed to stay ahead!
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>