Includes bibliographical references (p. [275]-298) and index.

Business journalist Blumenthal, like most people, is mystified by the stock market. Just why is it, she wonders, that seemingly good news can send a stock plummeting and bad news can send it skyrocketing again? Here she shows how money is made and lost, by following one of Americas hottest growth stocks, Starbucks, through a year of rapid store openings, fancy new products, and clever promotions, revealing how the many players--big and small investors, company management, analysts, and the media--propel its shares up and down. Blumenthal pulls back the curtain on the stock market to expose its quirks and inner workings, from the power of a penny of earnings and the unexpected impact of a stock split to the image-enhancing effects of a brand of bottled water.--From publisher description.