Yesterday I gave the NPCs more freedom to make their own decisions, and the first results are starting to show.
Over the last 12 hours, from 04:03 to 16:06 UTC, trading is up roughly +$1,000.
About +$480 is already realized from closed trades, while another ~+$540 is currently unrealized profit from open positions.
Based on actual money movement:
2,168 sells: +$4,681
1,517 buys: −$6,909
Open positions increased from $2,412 to $5,661: +$3,249
Total: ≈ +$1,020
Still early, but giving them more freedom instead of forcing rigid exits is producing interesting results.