Stock Market Spreadsheet Setup
We will use this spreadsheet to track our investments over the next several weeks. It should be saved as "p#_username_stockproject" in the P: drive. You will not need to put it in the Hand In folder until we are completely done. Save frequently. This document is very important! Take good care of it.
Read the following statements carefully. Most groups experience difficulty when they guess what the next step will be: ONLY DO WHAT YOU ARE ASKED TO DO. You will be using this spreadsheet for the next two weeks, so it is imperative that it is set up correctly.
Continually refer to the Sample Print Out to see what your spreadsheet should look like.
- Click on the cell A2. Type the word "Company". Hit the "Tab" key.
- Click on the cell B2. Type the word "Symbol". Hit the "Tab" key.
- Click on the cell C2. Type the words "Share Price". Hit the "Tab" key.
- Click on the cell D2. Type the word "Shares". Hit the "Tab" key.
- Click on the cell E2. Type the word "Investment". Hit the "Tab" key.
- Click on the cell F2. Type the words "Share Price". Hit the "Tab" key.
- Click on the cell G2. Type the words "Check 1". Hit the "Tab" key.
- Click on the cell H2. Type the words "% Change". Hit the "Tab" key.
- Notice that some of the columns are too narrow to fit the entire word you have typed. Put your pointer over the line that divides column header A and B. Double click when the point changes to a line with arrows on either side. Your columns will automatically adjust (this works for rows too). Do this for all columns that are too narrow.
- Click on the cell header for row 2 (the entire row should be highlighted). Click the bold button (the letter "B") to make the entire row bold.
- From cells A3:A12, enter the names of the companies you have chosen.
- From cells B3:B12, enter the corresponding symbols of the companies you have chosen.
- Click on the column header "C" so that the entire column is highlighted.
- Right click over the highlighted area.
- From the menu that appears, select "Format Cells".
- Under the "Number" tab, select "Currency" from the list. Click "OK". The original price should now be in currency format. Do this for all columns that contain currency amounts.
- Click on the row header "1" so that the entire row is highlighted. Right click and choose "Format Cells".
- Under the "Number" tab, select "Date" from the list. Select a date format and click "OK".
- Click on cell E1. Enter today's date. Hit enter.
- Using CNN/MONEY, check the stock prices for your companies. Enter this price in C3:C12. You should not have to type the dollar sign, as this column is formatted for currency. 1st Period only: if you see "NA" where the price should be, use "Previous Close" instead. The markets haven't opened for trading yet.
- In cell D3, type "10". Auto fill this number down to D12. You will change this number later. Auto fill: take your cursor over the little black box in the corner of a cell where you have a formula. The white cross should turn solid black. Drag all the way down to the last cell where you would like to solve the formula. It should automatically calculate the formula for you.
- In cell E3, type the formula =C3*D3. Press "Enter". This will multiply the original price by the number of shares purchased.
- Click on cell E3 again. Autofill down to E12.
- Click on cell D13. Type "Total".
- Bold D13.
- Click on cell E13. Enter the formula =sum(E3:E12). Press "Enter".
- Click on row header "12" so the entire row is highlighted. Go to the "Borders" button and select the "Bottom Border".
- You should now see the overall total of your group's investment in cell E13. Remember, this total assumes you have purchased only 10 shares of each company. You may now change the number of shares until the total in E13 reaches $10,000 or less. Notice how E13 recalculates automatically as you adjust the shares. Think strategically. Some groups put more shares into the companies they think will do well. Other groups invest an even amount in each company (about $1000 each) to spread the risk.