What's the deal with delisting old starbonds?

A starbond is eligible for delist if:

• it has been three years or more since its last adjust, and 
• the starbond is not attached to any active moviestocks.

Starbonds that are delisted by HSX cash out at their trailing average gross (TAG).  Because a starbond's current price will often differ from its TAG - especially for starbonds that have not adjusted in some time - this provides opportunities for profit.

Starbond delists generally happen twice a year, in batches.  Traders are not given advance notice of when they occur, and the delists are only noted on the calendar after they have occurred.  The delists usually happen on a Friday, making a nice surprise for the weekend.

The "three years without an adjust" rule is really a guideline, which has exceptions, including:

• director starbonds are generally given a while longer before becoming eligible for delist.  This is because directors on average have more time between projects than actors.
• actors who have been credited in moviestocks that delisted without reporting box office, or because they went straight to DVD, are also given a while longer before becoming eligible for delist. 

Also, if there is news that credits a starbond to an active moviestock, obviously that starbond is no longer eligible for delist.

Investing in potential starbond delists is speculative.  We have the guidelines, but no one knows for sure whether a starbond will actually be delisted in the next round of delists, or when the next round of delists will occur.  Speculating on starbond delists is really only for large ports that have no where better to put their cash.

To make the speculation easier, The HSX Dude and KaiGee both track potential starbond delists in the Bucket List sections of their websites.

The HSX Dude lists all of the starbonds eligible for delist, and has notes on when each starbond became eligible for delist, and whether there are any applicable exceptions.  The HSX Dude's Bucket List is updated every month.

KaiGee's list of the eligible starbonds also has their TAG and current price, so you can see at a glance which potential delists would be the most profitable.

Usually before starbond delists, HSX will do a review of potential delistees to check that they don't have any upcoming projects.  If you notice that several starbonds of the Bucket List are suddenly attached to moviestocks, it's a clue that another round of starbond delists may be happening shortly. Or it could be coincidence.

Starbonds are also delisted when the relevant actor or director passes away.  These starbonds are delisted at TAG, but their price is halted as soon as news breaks.  This is to prevent macabre traders from profiting from other people's deaths, so you'll have to trade quickly.