What Is Strategy Lab Open?
Strategy Lab Open is your chance to see how you stack up against the pros in the MSN Strategy Lab stock picking competition. You get to play along with the experts...picking your own stocks...researching companies...explaining your buy and sell decisions...making market calls...and finding your inner stock guru.
In the first round of the Open so far, our so-called "amateurs" are taking the pros to school. The best performing stock picker over at Strategy Lab, Price Headley, is up 11.11%. The top five SLO stock pickers have racked up gains from 35.65% to 45.59%! Compare that to the returns for the Dow, (+3.35%), the Nasdaq (+8.55%) and the S&P 500 (+4.16%) since the contest started, and you can see that SLO stock pickers are delivering impressive market beating returns.
Click here to read the full article
Don Quixote of the blog DataViews
Don Quixote of the blog DataViews believes that while Strategy Lab Open is a great contest, the real competition is the market itself. This long term investor recognizes that while the SLO may be more geared toward short term investors,...
Strategy Lab Open Week Twenty-One: A return to volatility
June 27, 2008 07:04 PM
Investors continued to face choppy markets, scary economic news, and anxiety about this week's Fed meeting. And after seven months of rate cuts, the Federal Reserve decided that inflation was more of an issue than a possible recession leaving key interest rates unchanged at 2%. How will the market react to this news long term? Stay tuned.
Despite what economists have to say, plenty of people are worried about real estate, the price of oil and gasoline and inflation, as evidenced by a drop to a 16 year low in consumer confidence levels. Still, consumers aren't giving up on the stock market just yet, and neither should you. Our Strategy Lab Open stock pickers have found ways to make some pretty impressive profits since the competition kicked off in February - our top 25 stock pickers are up anywhere from 13% to 60% in that time period. Want to see how they're getting those gains? Take a look at the stocks on the move in Strategy Lab Open this week:
The five most widely held stocks in the competition remain unchanged, with Apple Computer (AAPL) in the top spot. A flurry of buying in Potash (POT) moved it past Google (GOOG) to take over second place. General Electric (GE) and Microsoft (MSFT) remained in fourth and fifth place.
Ultra short ETFs and energy stocks are where our stock pickers found profits last week. The UltraShort Financials ProShares ETF (SKF) was the most profitable stock in the competition last week, followed by Ford Motor Company (F), Chesapeake Energy Corp (CHK), the UltraShort Real Estate ProShares ETF (SRS) and oil services company Schlumberger Ltd. (SLB).
Two of our most widely held stocks - Apple and Google - also made our list of stocks that lost the most money for the week. They were joined on the list by Sirius Satellite Radio (SIRI), steel producer Gerdau S.A. (GGB) and Bank of America (BAC). Not sure if you should be buying or selling SIRI? Our bloggers have some pretty strong opinions on the company. Check out what they had to say in the Bull/Bear Report on Sirius.
What our stock pickers are buying and selling this week
The James River Coal Company (JRCC) led the list of most purchased stocks this week. As noted above, enough people added Potash to their portfolio to move it up one place on the most widely held list, which was also enough to put Potash on the most purchased list. Another basic materials and agricultural chemicals company, Agrium Inc (AGU), also made the list, as well as airlines Delta Airlines (DAL) and Continental (CAL).
Two of the most profitable stocks also made the most-sold list, perhaps due to profit taking. The UltraShort Financials ProShares ETF (SKF) and the UltraShort Real Estate ProShares ETF (SRS) were joined on the most sold list by the UltraShort QQQ ProShares ETF (QID). Wireless broadband provider Alvarion (ALVR) and advanced video surveillance company Digital Ally (DGLY) rounded out the list of most sold stocks.
Click here to read the full article
Randal LaBine — Same News, Different Reaction
July 23, 2008 10:27 AM
In my trading portfolio, I'm currently taking more risk on the long side than I've taken in months. I don't think we've bottomed out and started a bull market, trust me. I think that the market will end the year... [ more ... ]
Vad Yazvinski — My 23 "common sense" investing rules
July 23, 2008 09:38 AM
The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning." -- Ivy Baker Priest We have only a few days left in this round of Strategy Lab, and while my portfolio... [ more ... ]
Tom Armistead — Property and Casualty Insurance - overlooked value in financials
July 23, 2008 08:58 AM
With the financials rallying 31% over the past week, all of a sudden there are a lot of commentators who advise buying banks, either selectively or by using ETFs. Lost in the shuffle are Property and Casualty and Multi-line Insurance,... [ more ... ]
Jim Van Meerten — Reminder on Banking stocks
July 22, 2008 09:20 PM
I know it's not proper to recycle recent articles but I really think everyone of you should go through the exercise I recommended. If you do this and dont't act then there may be no hope for you. Let me... [ more ... ]
Jeff Manera — Earnings Whipsaw the Markets
July 22, 2008 04:32 PM
Early this week, we are seeing a continuation of the mixed signals from the corporate world, with a bias towards the downside shifting more positive as investors shrug off some nasty earnings reports and buy up good stocks along with... [ more ... ]
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Strategy Lab Open on MSN Money
October 26, 2007 04:23 PM
Your blog could be featured on MSN Money! Each week, we post an article on MSN Money which summarizes what our Strategy Lab Open bloggers had to say in about a particular stock or investing topic. The article also links to a sampling of the best posts on that week's stock or topic. So, join the discussion and get noticed! Click here for tips on writing a winning blog entry.
Here is an excerpt from the most recent Strategy Lab Open article on MSN Money:
Can't beat an iPod that makes phone calls
The iPhone. More than a music player or a phone, the key to Apple's success is an ever-improving gadget that is changing the entertainment industry. When you think of it as a member of the iPod family, it changes your perspective about what the iPhone could do for Apple. And with the announcement Wednesday that Apple plans to start allowing third-party iPhone applications to be built and installed, a whole new level of flexibility has opened up for users. Some analysts and bloggers predict Apple will continue to rise, doubling its current gains. Others distrust the rapid gain and advocate staying away. The debate hinges on one question: Is the iPhone a cell phone that is also an iPod, or is it an iPod that is also a cell phone?
Read complete story on MSN here.
Congratulations to this week's featured bloggers:
Jeff Kalnitz, for the post "Can Apple Double Again?" (Hint: He's thinking yes) and Ahknaten, for his post "Ahknaten Doesn't Like Apple."(Hint: He's voting no.)
Want to see your blog featured on MSN? We'll be sending out our next article topic soon, so watch your email in box.
Performance: July 11, 2008
| Rank | Participant | NAV | %Gain | Total Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
aardvark | $14.88 | 48.80% | $1,487,945.34 |
 |
vanmeerten | $13.38 | 33.82% | $1,338,162.59 |
 |
thestockguy | $11.26 | 24.38% | $1,126,417.89 |
 |
duffbeer | $10.96 | 23.09% | $1,095,569.72 |
 |
rushabout | $13.45 | 22.63% | $1,344,549.18 |
| See All Rankings | ||||
| See Top 50 Posts | ||||
Unfortunately for owners of Chicago Bridge and Iron (CBI), a rising tide does not float all boats. Shares of this heavy construction builder were pummeled Wednesday on news of a pre-announcement that was less than stellar. In the release the company noted that rising raw material costs were negatively impacted two of its liquefied natural gas projects in the United Kingdom. Although they recovered a bit yesterday, CBI trades well off previous highs. Is the sell-off an opportunity to buy or should investors be worried. I know where I stand on the stock. Where do you stand? Is CBI a buy/sell/or hold?
Tell me your thoughts and I will report back in next week's bull/bear report.
Looking for inspiration? Want to get an interesting discussion going? Write about the question above on your blog and you could see your answer featured here next week.
Good Investing
June 27, 2008 06:34 PM
I don't think I can stress enough, that the strategy lab is both an investment tool, and a game.
Early in my posts, I stated a goal to beat the indexes, and I certainly have soundly trounced them so far this year, with room to spare. Naturally, I wanted to do well in this lab performance also.
I have to say, I have accomplished both of those goals, and to some degree, I have "led the pack", without violating too many investment rules.
The first rule of GOOD investing, is to be diversified. I look at both the open, and other portfolio's in the lab, and too often, I find that rule has been broken. Well, to be fair, the regular lab has less beginning dollars and that will force them into fewer stock selections. It does however show investors that money can be made, and you don't have to have millions to do it.
Then I look at some of the portfolios in the open, and I don't know whether to congratulate them, or to have pity on them. Yes, maybe the way to win the open lab is to have a few stocks that do very well, but I contend it is a poor way to manage a portfolio. But, if you can make the big bucks that way, should I be one to criticize? Well, I am going to anyway!
I see portfolio's with 25% in a single stock. What a HORRIBLE thing to teach other investors to do, and should we not lead by EXAMPLE?
I do not want to give percentages of what portion of an individuals portfolio should not be exceeded because there are so many different investment amounts. If you have few dollars to invest, you may need to invest in only a few winners. But, as your portfolio grows, the best bang for the buck has to be to diversify.
Read on to learn the smart way to use Strategy Lab Open stock picks in your portfolio.
Commodities Trading: General Mills (GIS)
June 27, 2008 06:30 PM
After the recent non-traditional defensive pick, I wanted to look at a more traditional defensive play involving commodities trading -- food stocks.
Last week, General Mills (GIS) issued a press release raising guidance for their 4th quarter and full FY08 earnings and providing guidance for FY09. Excluding some mark-to-market gains on commodities options, GIS expects earnings of $3.52 a share for FY08 when they report this week. The company expects to earn between $3.78 and $3.83 for FY09 excluding any one-time adjustments.
At the 19 June close of $62.79, that puts GIS at a ttm PE of 17.8 excluding items and a fwd PE of between 16.6 and 16.4 on the '09 guidance. The mid-point of the guidance would be 8.1% earnings growth over this year and according to Yahoo analysts expect a 5-year earnings growth rate of 8.7%. GIS pays a quarterly dividend of 40 cents a share for a yield of a little over 2.5%.
How does General Mills stack up against the competition? Keep reading to find out.
