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README.md

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+# rstat - Reddit Stock Ticker Analyzer Tool
+
+This is a command-line tool to analyze stock ticker mentions across a predefined list of subreddits. It scrapes posts and comments, counts the number of times each ticker is mentioned, fetches the ticker's market capitalization, and will calculate a sentiment score for each mention.
+
+## Features
+
+*   Scans a user-defined list of subreddits from a JSON configuration file.
+*   Identifies stock tickers (e.g., `$AAPL`, `TSLA`) in Reddit posts and comments.
+*   Fetches market capitalization for each identified ticker using the Yahoo Finance API.
+*   Summarizes the findings in a clear, command-line-based report.
+*   (Future) Performs sentiment analysis on each mention.
+
+## Installation
+
+Follow these steps to set up the project and its dependencies on your local machine.
+
+### 1. Clone the Repository
+
+First, clone this repository to your local machine (or simply download and create the files as described).
+
+```bash
+git clone <your-repository-url>
+cd rstat
+```
+
+### 2. Set Up a Python Virtual Environment
+
+It is highly recommended to use a virtual environment to manage project-specific dependencies, preventing conflicts with your global Python installation.
+
+**On macOS / Linux:**
+
+```bash
+# Create a virtual environment named 'venv'
+python3 -m venv venv
+
+# Activate the virtual environment
+source venv/bin/activate
+```
+*You will know it's active when you see `(venv)` at the beginning of your terminal prompt.*
+
+**On Windows:**
+
+```bash
+# Create a virtual environment named 'venv'
+python -m venv venv
+
+# Activate the virtual environment
+.\venv\Scripts\activate
+```
+*You will know it's active when you see `(venv)` at the beginning of your command prompt.*
+
+### 3. Install Dependencies
+
+Once your virtual environment is activated, install the required Python libraries using the `requirements.txt` file.
+
+```bash
+pip install -r requirements.txt
+```
+
+## Configuration
+
+Before running the tool, you need to configure the list of subreddits you want to analyze.
+
+1.  Open the `subreddits.json` file.
+2.  Modify the list of strings to include your desired subreddits.
+
+**Example `subreddits.json`:**
+```json
+{
+  "subreddits": [
+    "wallstreetbets",
+    "stocks",
+    "investing",
+    "pennystocks"
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+## Usage
+
+To run the tool, execute the `main.py` script from the root directory of the project, passing the path to your configuration file as an argument.
+
+Make sure your virtual environment is activated before running the script.
+
+```bash
+python main.py subreddits.json
+```
+
+### Expected Output
+
+The tool will first confirm the loaded subreddits and then proceed with its analysis, printing the results directly to the terminal.
+
+```
+Loading configuration...
+Successfully loaded 4 subreddits: wallstreetbets, stocks, investing, pennystocks
+------------------------------
+Testing market data functionality...
+Market Cap for AAPL: $2,912,488,124,416
+------------------------------
+Next up: Integrating the Reddit API to find tickers...
+```
+
+---
+
+This `README.md` provides a clear and concise guide for anyone (including your future self) to get the project up and running quickly.
+
+We are now ready to move on to the next implementation step. Shall we proceed with integrating the Reddit API using PRAW?