Bulba,
A couple of points as they relate to your request..
1) A few years back I had some activity in several of my portfolio stocks that happened the first week of trading...........I had grandiose thoughts that because of the ensuing jump in price that my HUGE first week gains would be there at the end of the year. Ah! T'was not to be. What dreams to be dashed by the siren's call that first week. News this week might not be news on December 31st, 2012--and stocks could reflect the reality.
2) As you know, I submitted my portfolio last week by PM. The reason that I did this was to avoid the situation that is now becoming an issue. Not that I thought my picks were so unique that they would win by a landslide, rather that (IMO) we can make this a contest unbiased by other's selections. (IMO) ALL portfolios should be selected independently of what others have selected. In all candor, I broke my own embargo by revealing my selections this week, when I saw so many selecting(MITI) that I also had in last year's selection, and I think the year before that.
3) As with you, I'm disapointed with the number of participates this year, and even the number that has bookmarked the contest as opposed to last year's lurkers and actual entries. However, it appears from looking at all boards the number of posters here on SI has lost some users of this site. With this said, I think the contest should avoid entries after the start date. Therefore, if you look at Rule 6 I think the answer has already been made. If December 31st is the entry price, that is the beginning of the contest, therefore trades after this date aren't allowed. New contestants are appreciated, but why should they change the rules? As a compromise, allows entries made by Sunday night, but if news of any kind has been released in an open forum then that selection should be disallowed. The issue isn't about someone winning the contest, the issue is what charity can be impacted by this issue. Plus, you shouldn't be asked duplicate your efforts.
This is a unique board! A unique contest! A worthy place that allows one to give freely to charity. Your effort in giving weekly updates is appreciated. However, we now find newcomers questioning the integrity, the various historical contestants not knowing what they are doing being woeful, and demanding someone(you) to supply historical data, when if this person really wanted, they could seek on their own. As the header delineates this is a CONTEST. Plus, I think the proper nomenclature here is that there are no EXPERTS, rather we have MAVENS and GURUS that can opine with valuable information. If one doesn't think that when I ask Biomaven a question and that I don't heed his valuable input..... they are wrong! On a given year I would venture that in personal portfolio's where personal money is invested, contestants here would hold no more than 25-35% of the stocks in their portfolio's here.Year before last, I tried a new approach by entering a large number of companies on foreign exchanges(didn't work out) but I've never owned one of these stock in the entries I made. This year I have a stock listed on the Australian Exchange, but WOULD never personally buy a stock selling for .75 cents. All I'm hoping for is that in December someone thinks its worth $1.00.
This is a Contest! Plain and simple. New ideas are shared! Some might decide to buy stocks recommended here. That is fine, but why, after the contest operating so smoothly for so many years are we contemplating changing it? December 31, 2012----the contest started, IMO! Without a firm start date for the year, then we could have some using positive announcements made by biotechs that had news after the close today. And there were such announcements--will this news impact closing prices in December--who knows! But then whose charity will be deprived of winning on December 31, 2012? |
