These Two Stocks Are Soaring And Making People Rich Thanks To Pokémon GO


You know who got rich during the Great California Gold Rush of 1849? The people who sold the shovels. No one can name a single prospector who hauled away a fortune in gold, but everyone knows the business success of Levi Strauss, an entrepreneur who started a denim empire.

The same economic trends can be applied to almost every craze. Even something as silly as Pokémon GO.

The game causes phone batteries to drain pretty fast since you have to constantly check your screen. Dead batteries mean a need for portable phone chargers. One particular company that makes portable chargers is Zagg, which bought Mophie, the battery case manufacturer, earlier this year for $100 million, according to CNN.

Thanks to Pokemon GO, the sales of Mophies around the world have soared over the last week. A month ago, on July 18, Zagg’s stock was $5.25. Today it’s hovering around $6.52. That’s about a 24.38% increase in value over the course of the month, with most of the spike coming last week. Your 200-share investment for $1050 a month ago would now be worth $1300 before taxes.

Another stock that’s booming thanks to Pokemon GO is Gamestop, the brick and mortar video game retail store. According to Bloomberg, sales are up 100% in stores that are gyms.

Shares of Gamestop Corp. rose the most in more than a year after Chief Executive Officer Paul Raines told CNBC that sales were up 100 percent in 462 stores that are “gyms” in the Pokemon Go app.

Raines also said that Pokemon merchandise is up “significantly across the board.” Gamestop is the largest distributor of Pokemon video games and collectibles, he said. Pokemon Go, released earlier this month by Nintendo Co., allows players to battle other teams in physical locations called gyms.

“We’re very happy to see all this excitement around Pokemon in what is traditionally a slower time of the year for video gaming,” Raines said.

And, of course, the stock that’s most directly effected by Pokemon GO is Nintendo, which saw a massive boom that increased it’s market cap by $12 billion.

TLDR: If you can’t make something that’s a worldwide trend, sell shovels.

Brandon Wenerd is BroBible's publisher, writing on this site since 2009. He writes about sports, music, men's fashion, outdoor gear, traveling, skiing, and epic adventures. Based in Los Angeles, he also enjoys interviewing athletes and entertainers. Proud Penn State alum, former New Yorker. Email: brandon@brobible.com