Stocks & Bonds

About this board game

Stocks & Bonds is a Wall Street investment game for 2–8 players, with a playing time of about 60 minutes. Players buy and sell 10 different securities over a series of yearly rounds, competing to become the wealthiest stockholder.

Each round presents opportunities to assess the market and decide when to invest or sell. A unique market calculator indicates whether the result is a Happy Monday or a Black Friday, adding changing market conditions to the financial competition.

The bookshelf case includes the materials needed to manage the market and track each player’s position:

• Stock Board and marker
• Dice and market calculator
• Record sheets and situation cards
• Stock certificates and instructions

Several editions of Stocks & Bonds exist, even though their external boxes look the same. The original 1964 edition in the 3M Bookshelf Series has a block-style spine, a single-sided market calculator, and a $10 payment for each transaction.

A later edition with a filigree spine removes the $10 transaction charge and adds both bear and bull sides to the market calculator. This version also includes a margin variant, allowing players to purchase stock on credit while paying for a percentage of that credit.

Designed for teens through adults, Stocks & Bonds offers a focused simulation of buying, selling, and reacting to market situations. It was later reimplemented as Stock Market Guru.