# 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?