Join the new world

Strap in, its going to be a wild ride. One thing The 1600 Index has learned over the past few months, is that the eMarkets like to over-react. When the eUSA lost its 100% bonus, the wage market plummeted, only to recover in a few days. This week it was the Rocket Factory debacle. Weapon prices swung to ridiculous (ludicrous speed) levels only to softly, gently float back to the same frickin' price they were before it happened. Kinda.

Raw Materials bust out of their .06 food / .07 weapon rut as weapon raws sky with the increased demand for weapons. Then weapon raw materials softly, gently float back to the same frickin' price they were before it happened. At the end, the Raw Material Index holds at 28.89, but it did break its 33-day streak of just sitting at 28.89.

Food prices weaken across the board as all Q-levels retreat. The high-end (Q5 & Q6) show less loss (2.5% & 4.4% respectively) but the solid 5%+ losses on the low-end and mid-range push the Food Index down 3.81 to 69.81.

Weapons are the story for the week as all weapon prices shoot higher led by Q1-Q4. The demand created by the introduction of the rocket factory enabled the mid-range (Q3 & Q4) to outstrip the prices for Q5 & Q6. Those price levels held for the end of the week as Q4 remains the most expensive weapon followed by Q3. The low-end has seen some adjustment as Q1 prices spiked then softly, gently float back to the same frickin' price they were before it happened. The Weapon Index increases 35.89 (or 50😵 to 107.25, the first time the Index has been over 100 since Day 1604.

During the week that was, gold diddled just short of 3,000cc for three days before it got tagged-teamed by the rocket-factory and a gold sale, knocking the price off its high horse and pushing the Gold Index down a whopping 30.36 to 149.34.

The index:


The 1600 AU Index
Based off of the amount of gold a player could earn in a year by working at market wage, selling 20 weapons, 200 food (both Q6) and 1750 raw materials (split 50/50 food/weapons) the 1600 AU Index takes a break from continually dropping and actually rises. The big drop in gold coupled with Q6 weapon prices offset the modest drop in Q6 food to push the Index up 38.71 to 214.49.

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What does this strange new world look like for employers. We've long held that Q1-Q4 can't make money as an employer. Does the rocket factory turn that on its head. The crack staff at the 1600 Index bets a chart will demonstrate that:



On Day 1681, two things happened - rocket factory was introduced plus the eUSA regained its 100% weapon bonus. So each employee produced 2 additional weapons. But the bigger impact was the price jumps. Q4 employers (and there probably weren't very many on Day 1680 since they were losing $50 per worker) suddenly saw profits of $476.20 per worker. Even Q3s got into the profit act. As prices mitigated and wages rose over the next few days, Q5 employers moved back into the red while Q3, Q4 & Q6 still make a profit. If prices hold, wages could push Q6 employers into the red, although it seems unlikely given the fewer employee slots on Q3 & Q4 companies.

Lets look at food producers who have to compete with very profitable Q3 & Q4 weapon producers and their bonus is at 80%, meaning a bit less income.


Youch. Q6 food employers are getting squeezed by higher wages and lower prices (as noted earlier, prices down 2.5😵.

Lets check the wage graph


The red line in the 5-day moving average (average of the last 5-days) of market prices. Clearly we see the drop in wages that came with the bonus reduction, the subsequent correction and then jump with rocket factories.

And gold, for kicks

Looks like the Devils Tower from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The 1600 Index has not been abducted by aliens. At least that what we believe.


Note: prices are reflective of a percentage of Day 1600's price (Hence the "1600 Index"). In other words if an index is quoted at 88, that days price is 88% of the price on Day 1600. Except the 1600 AU Index which represents an amount of gold one can buy given market conditions as noted in that section.

Methodology on prices: prices are taken at 3:00 eRep time. The price is the average price of buying 1,000 Raw materials, 500 Food, 100 weapons (at each quality level), and 8 gold, plus the market wage less any fraction of cc (so 240, rather than 240.1). All qualities are standardized to Q1 (per hit or per health).

Sic transit gloria mundi