Semicolons, Colons, and Commas

50 Cent is best known for his (6) rap career what many fans may not realize, though, is that he made a lot of his fortune in the stock market. Which choice best illustrates the correct usage of a semicolon in this sentence?

Fill in the blank with the correct punctuation: A stock price is primarily influenced by the balance of supply and demand in the market (a)   this is driven by factors like news events and economic conditions.

Fill in the blank with the correct punctuation: It may be tempting to follow your favorite celebrity’s style, trends, and preferred products (a)   however, it is best not to take financial advice from an entertainer.

Fill in the blank with the correct punctuation: Stock prices can fluctuate from day to day___ it is the gains over time, however, that can eventually make a person wealthy.

Rapper 50 Cent’s name may imply that he’s low on cash; but his fans know otherwise. What they may not know, however, is that his rap career is only one source of his income. In fact, in 2011, he managed to make $8.7 million in one weekend without a single record sale.

50 Cent’s company, G-Unit Inc., invested heavily in a company called H&H Imports; the company distributes 50 Cent’s headphones. The stock was only trading at ten cents a share, when it comes to stocks, that’s usually a bad sign. In fact, the company had barely made any profit. However, that was about to change when 50 Cent sent out a tweet to his 3.8 million Twitter followers urging them to buy the stock. As a result, the stock nearly quadrupled in price; with 30 million shares in his name, 50 Cent made millions of dollars virtually overnight while barely lifting a finger.

The stock was only trading at ten cents a (3) share, when it comes to stocks, that’s usually a bad sign. In fact, the company had barely made any profit. However, that was about to change when 50 Cent sent out a tweet to his 3.8 million Twitter followers urging them to buy the stock. As a result, the stock nearly quadrupled (4) in price; with 30 million shares in his name, 50 Cent made millions of dollars virtually overnight while barely lifting a finger.

As a result, the stock nearly quadrupled in price; with 30 million shares in his name, 50 Cent made millions of dollars virtually overnight while barely lifting a finger.

However, think twice before investing and posting about it. 50 Cent was investigated by the Securities & Exchange

We do NOT need a semicolon in this sentence. Instead, let’s review the rules for using commas to join two complete thoughts. The sentence already contains the conjunction but. Now we just need a comma in front of the conjunction. What is the correct answer?