About HashEx
HashEx is a stock-market simulation game where the "stocks" are Mastodon hashtags. Prices update automatically based on real post activity. Start with $2,000 and see how much you can grow it.
Getting Started
Every new account starts with $2,000 in play money and 1 research point.
Use research points to unlock hashtags. Each point lets you search for a tag on Mastodon — if it has activity, it gets added to the exchange with a live price. You earn more points each day based on your account balance.
Daily research points
How Prices Work
Every hashtag has a price derived from its posts-per-hour rate on Mastodon using a saturating curve — prices rise quickly at low activity and flatten at high activity so a single viral tag can't dominate the market.
Prices update on a regular cycle. A hashtag that goes completely quiet for long enough will be automatically deactivated — you'll get a warning on the home page if any of your positions are at risk. Research it again to reactivate it.
Trade Types
All trades are validated server-side. You cannot buy more than your balance, sell more shares than you hold, or trade a hashtag you haven't researched.
Short Selling — Quirks & Risks
Shorts use a collateral model. When you buy short, the cost is price × shares. When you close, you receive back (2 × entry − current) × shares.
This means losses are uncapped. If the price doubles, your payout is zero. If it triples, your balance goes negative.
A negative balance isn't game-over — you can still trade, but your total portfolio value will show in red. You can reset your account at any time from your profile page.
Hedge Funds
Admins can create Hedge Funds — shared pools of capital that multiple players can manage together.
As a fund manager you trade on behalf of the fund by appending ?fund=[slug] to any hashtag page (there are quick links on the fund page). A banner confirms you're in Fund Mode.
Outside investors can buy and sell fund shares from the fund's page. The NAV (net asset value) per share is calculated live from the fund's total portfolio. Fund investments show up in your Holdings and Trade History.
Fund shares are stored to 6 decimal places. Fund accounts cannot sign in directly and do not earn research points or play the lottery.
Want to run your own fund? Apply here →
Account Reset
You can reset your account from your profile page at any time. All positions are closed and your balance returns to $2,000.
Lucky Dip
Once per day you can open the Lucky Dip lottery. Pick a box — most are empty, but a few hold cash prizes. Winnings are added directly to your balance. So head over and check out ourLucky Dip page now or you can always find the link on our home page.