You’ve seen the screenshots. Some guy on Reddit has $2.1 billion sitting in Michael’s bank account, and you’re over here struggling to pay for a new coat of paint at Los Santos Customs. It feels like a scam. It isn't. But honestly, most people mess this up because they treat the GTA V stock market like a real-life investment portfolio. They buy "stable" companies and wait.
Bad move.
The stock market in Los Santos isn't about "growth" or "dividends." It’s about domestic terrorism and corporate sabotage. If you aren't actively ruining someone’s life, you aren't making money. Basically, if you want to be rich, you have to be the reason the market crashes.
The Lester Strategy: Your Only Real Path to Billions
If you’ve already finished all the Lester assassination missions without investing, I have bad news. You might want to restart your save. The biggest mistake is doing these missions as soon as they pop up. Lester Crest is essentially giving you the keys to the kingdom, but if you only have $5,000 to invest, you’re getting pocket change back.
You need to wait. Finish the entire main story first.
Once you wrap up "The Big Score," each of your three characters—Michael, Franklin, and Trevor—should have roughly $25 to $40 million. That is your seed money. When you dump $40 million into a stock that jumps 80%, you’re not just making a profit; you’re breaking the game’s economy.
Why the "Hotel Assassination" is Different
This is the only assassination mission you have to do to progress the story. You can't skip it. Since you'll have very little money at this point, the returns won't be legendary. Still, put everything you have into Betta Pharmaceuticals (BET) on the BAWSAQ exchange before you start. Sell it once it hits about an 80% return.
The Multi-Target Assassination (The Redwood Rebound)
This is where the real math starts. You’re targeting Redwood Cigarettes. Before the mission, park all your cash in Debonaire (DEB) on the LCN.
- Complete the mission.
- Watch Debonaire climb to around 80% and sell.
- Crucial step: Immediately put all that new money into Redwood (RWC).
Redwood just bottomed out because you killed their people. Now, you wait for the "rebound." It takes a few in-game days—usually about 48 to 72 hours—but Redwood will eventually skyrocket by nearly 300%. This single "double-dip" is how you turn millions into hundreds of millions.
LCN vs. BAWSAQ: What’s the Difference?
The game doesn't explain this well. LCN is "Local Club Network." It’s strictly offline. The prices are dictated by your actions in your specific save file. If you blow up a bunch of FlyUS planes at the airport, AirEmu stock goes up. It’s predictable.
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BAWSAQ is different. Sorta.
In the early days of GTA V, BAWSAQ was tied to the Rockstar Social Club and influenced by the global player base. In 2026, it’s mostly static or scripted for the single-player experience. However, it still requires an internet connection to access. If your console or PC is offline, the BAWSAQ page will just say it’s under maintenance. Don't panic; just check your connection.
Managing the "Sleep" Exploit
Patience is for people who aren't trying to buy a $10,000,000 golf course. To make the stocks move faster, go to your safehouse and save the game. Sleeping advances time.
- Trevor sleeps for 12 hours.
- Franklin sleeps for 8 hours.
- Michael sleeps for 6 hours.
If a stock needs three days to peak, Trevor is your best friend. You don't actually have to save the game, either. Just enter the save menu and back out. The clock still moves forward.
Beyond Assassinations: Can You Manipulate the Market?
People love to say you can get rich by blowing up trucks. "Go to the docks and destroy every PostOP van to make GoPostal stock rise!" It sounds cool. It makes sense.
It barely works.
While there is a tiny bit of truth to corporate rivalry in the game code—like Cluckin' Bell vs. Taco Bomb—the manual manipulation is incredibly slow. You might spend three hours blowing up trucks just to see a 0.5% shift. It’s a waste of time compared to the scripted events.
There is one exception: Tinkle.
Keep an eye out for a random encounter on the highway near Chumash. A guy whose car broke down needs a lift to the airport. If you get him there on time, he gives you a tip on Tinkle (TNK). Buy it immediately with all characters. It’s a guaranteed 30% gain in about 24 hours.
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The $2.1 Billion Ceiling
There is a hard cap on how much money you can have. Because of the way the game was programmed (32-bit integers, for the tech nerds), your bank account cannot exceed $2,147,483,647.
If you execute the Lester missions perfectly with the endgame heist money, you will hit this limit. If you try to sell a stock that would put you at $2.2 billion, the game might glitch and give you nothing, or just cap it at the limit.
Practical Next Steps for Your Save File
Check your map for a green "L" icon. If it’s anything other than the first mission, stop. Go finish the Union Depository heist first. Once the "Big Score" is done and the credits have rolled, come back to these missions.
- Save your game in a new slot before every mission. Stocks can be finicky.
- Check the "My Portfolio" tab rather than the main market page. The main page often lags behind the actual price you can sell for.
- Invest with all three guys. Switching characters takes ten seconds, but it triples your total take-home.
- Watch for the dip. If a guide says a stock hits 80%, but yours is at 78% and starts dropping, sell. Don't get greedy and lose the peak.
Your goal is to own every property in Los Santos. The stock market is the only way to do it without spending the next ten years of your life grinding taxi missions.