GTA 5 stock market
GTA V has two in-game stock exchanges, LCN and BAWSAQ. The biggest profits come from Lester's five assassination missions, played as Franklin, because each hit moves certain share prices. GTABase advises finishing the story first, then putting all three characters' money into the right stock before and after each job.
What are LCN and BAWSAQ?
They are the two stock exchanges in GTA V, found on the in-game internet. Some companies trade on LCN and others on BAWSAQ, and GTABase names the right exchange for each share in its guide. Prices drift over time, but the big jumps come from events in the story, above all the hits that Lester sets up.
How do Lester's assassinations move the market?
Each target is tied to a company. Taking them out sends a rival company's shares up, and after some hits the target's own firm then rises too. Lester gives these jobs to Franklin, but GTABase says you can invest with all three protagonists, which triples the profit.
Which stocks should you buy and when?
| Mission | Buy before | Gain (approx.) | Buy after | Gain (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Hotel Assassination | Betta Pharmaceuticals (BET), BAWSAQ | about 80% | Bilkington (BIL), LCN | about 80% |
| The Multi Target Assassination | Debonaire (DEB), LCN | about 80% | Redwood (RWC), LCN | about 320% |
| The Vice Assassination | Fruit (FRT), BAWSAQ | about 50% | Facade (FAC), BAWSAQ | about 33% |
| The Bus Assassination | None | Vapid (VAP), BAWSAQ | about 100% | |
| The Construction Assassination | GoldCoast (GCD), LCN | about 90% | None |
The percentages are rough figures from the GTABase guide. It notes that the Hotel trade gives a much smaller gain, about 21%, on the newer console and PC versions, and that results can vary by platform and version. Always check the price before you sell.
When should you do the assassinations?
Only The Hotel Assassination is required for the story. The other four are optional and stay available. GTABase recommends leaving them until after the final heist, The Big Score, when each character has far more cash to invest. It calls the Multi Target trade the most important one, since Redwood can more than quadruple your stake.
How do you sell at the right time?
After buying, GTABase suggests going to a safehouse, making a quick save and sleeping to move time forward. Check the price, and if it starts to fall, reload the save from when it was higher. Keeping several save slots makes this easier.