The first ASOS Challenge was successful in the sense that it taught us a few lessons on investment timing. Only three of 11 shares ended in profit and that included ASOS itself: congratulations to legend for BNH and bosley for SEO. Back to the drawing board for the rest of us (over the year the portfolio would have thrashed any opposition!).

Participants welcome for the second challenge. Primary objective is to find shares that will double in value by 1st July, beating ASC in the process; secondary to be most successful stock-picker in terms of the value of your 20K portfolio. Rules are:

1.Each participant has 20K which can go into 1,2,3 or 4 shares in units of 5K.
2.ASC has 20K and is team yardstick, not in individual portfolios.
3.Duplication between entrants OK with no upper limit for total for one share.
4.Start weekend of 21st Jan. Buy price half way between closing offer and mid.
5.Latest time of entry to be 8 pm on Sunday, 23rd Jan.
6.Challenge to close Friday, 1st July.
7.Entrants can switch up to a total of 10K; av. of Friday close bid and mid.
8.Progress reports to rank shares by performance but also participants (initial only to protect from the ridicule of outsiders!).

Participants welcome. Just post selection here or on ASC thread.

Eric

capa: nice to have some millions to lose!

kus: hardly a recommendation; reading about him leaves a nasty tast in the mouth.

all: remember the rule allowing a switch of shares. Unless it soars tomorrow will sell AZM and buy NML at Friday close, according to the rules. Have ditched AZM, my longest running share, from my portfolio. Had banked on a licence deal for their obesity drug. However, an RNS this week on US approvals says, to me at elast, that they are playing it too lon for this protfolio and therefore for me - back to the watchlist. NML starting production for diamons in Angola, vastly underrated at cap. of 6m.

Eric

Eric,

Can I do likewise, please, i.e. I want to dispose of 5k Namibian Resources (NBR) and replace with 5k of Stanelco (SEO)? Thus making my new Portfolio to read: -
10k SEO and
10k KYS

Many thanks,

Kus.

PS. Comments noted re Simon Caukhill ("E-K"). Agree that he's probably no angel (don't want to pass a personal judgement on him) but he obviously has an eye for an opportunity or two.....!

I'll stick with mine Eric, NRG produced creditable results on Monday but have suffered at the hands of the sell on results brigade. 60% increase in profits and progressive dividend policy, with the stronger half of the year to come should ensure return of the uptrend. MOB and NLR are stars and the market just hasn't woken up to CASH, yet !!

regards

capa

Eric - my "tortoise" portfolio bought with the intention of keeping for the full period, just to see how it compares with the "hares" of the frequent traders. Don't want to complicate the issue unduly, but would it be possible to note the number of changes in each portfolio during the running? In the real world dealing costs (and dividends, which in my holdings always cover the costs by good margin) are cash items and can add up.

kus - consider it done!
capa - you look in good shape, though not as shapely as the girls!
partridge - take your point. However, setting the dealing point at half way between mid-point and bid/offer is intended to allow for dealing costs. Take SEO as an example, surprising number of deals at the mid-point: one finds quite often, as others have also observed, that a buy is shown as a sell and vice versa. Cost of buying 5K SEO about 0.008p a share; of selling 0.003p. Rule seems reasonable and adjustments could have been proposed before we started. OK? Mind, I suspect, whilst you may not win, I bet you are in the second quartile!

Eric

hello eric
could you do an update to tell me where i am up to.
regards
sebastien

Can I put 5k on Wales to stuff England EW ?

Dil
What a wag you are SD

Dil: not only DILuded but now DILirious! EW

I have already laid off part of my bet on betfair and am now on Wales for free.

Bring it on :-)

We will!

SECOND ASOS CHALLENGE PORTFOLIO

Poor old ASOS is reclining next to bottom in this week's chart! Mind, I wouldn't write them off yet. may just be a good buying opportunity. The overall portfolio is up 6.6% [I'll try to put an update for comparison with small cap index].

epic cost__ shares_ price value gain gain-wk

SEO_ 7.19__ 417300_ 10.75 44860 49.5 34.4___ BBSSUW
CFP_ 0.28__ 3570000 0.39_ 13923 39.3 30.0___ WY
NLR_ 394.5_ 5080___ 540.5 27457 37.0 14.1___ CDMM
MLS_ 7.19__ 69500__ 9.5__ 6603 32.1 15.2___ W
BGT_ 130.5_ 7660___ 170.0 13022 30.3 4.6____ JJ
MOB_ 230.75 2165___ 295.0 6387 27.8 22.7___ C
DGM_ 18.19_ 110000_ 22.75 25025 25.1 19.7___ BEMS
CEY_ 12.625 39600__ 14.5_ 5742 14.9 -3.3___ I
IDS_ 212.5_ 4700___ 243.5 11445 14.6 12.7___ GH
AGL_ 128.25 3900___ 142.5 5558 11.1 -0.7___ B
RSG_ 466.25 1070___ 512.5 5484 9.9 2.0____ P
BPRG 67.25_ 14870__ 72.75 10818 8.2 11.9___ TT
BAG_ 811___ 615____ 874.5 5378 7.8 3.6____ P
DFD_ 136___ 3675___ 145.5 5347 7.0 10.6___ A
CRDA 327.37 1525___ 350.0 5338 6.9 5.0____ P
HCEG 63____ 7935___ 66.0_ 5237 4.8 -2.9___ O
BGC_ 84.8__ 5900___ 88.25 5207 4.1 -4.1___ K
KCOM 62____ 16100__ 64.5_ 10385 4.0 3.2____ OO
THUS 15.19_ 32900__ 15.75 5182 3.7 1.6____ O
EPD_ 51____ 9805___ 52.5_ 5148 2.9 0.0____ I
PCI_ 10.625 47000__ 10.88 5114 2.4 -4.4___ T
KYS_ 15.875 63000__ 16.25 10238 2.4 16.1___ UU
BPG_ 667.62 1500___ 680.0 10200 1.9 2.4____ DP
CIU_ 162.25 3080___ 165.0 5082 1.7 0.9____ G
ACE_ 258.25 1935___ 262.5 5079 1.6 -1.3___ G
SPS_ 50.5__ 49500__ 50.5_ 24998 0.0 5.2____ AHIKK
GHH_ 191.5_ 2610___ 190.5 4972 -0.5 1.1____ G
FTO_ 8.69__ 57500__ 8.625 4959 -0.7 2.9____ Y
NRG_ 220.25 2270___ 218.5 4960 -0.8 -5.4___ C
GWP_ 120.25 8315___ 117.5 9770 -2.3 0.4____ EE
MDW_ 9.09__ 165000_ 8.875 14644 -2.4 7.6____ SV
BNH_ 125.25 15970__ 121.5 19404 -3.0 6.6____ AIRR
IDOX 11.75_ 42500__ 11.38 4837 -3.1 0.0____ v
XEN_ 7.44__ 67200__ 7.15_ 4805 -3.9 0.0____ v
AUG_ 256.25 3900___ 246.0 9594 -4.0 0.4____ DE
CASH 142.25 7030___ 135.0 9491 -5.1 1.1____ CD
TND_ 22.5__ 111000_ 21.25 23588 -5.6 -1.2___ LLLLR
PMD_ 0.875_ 571400_ 0.825 4714 -5.7 3.1____ Y
PET_ 53.75_ 18600__ 50.25 9347 -6.5 -1.0___ JR
PAY_ 255.75 1955___ 237.5 4643 -7.1 -4.0___ m
TRT_ 87____ 5750___ 80.0_ 4600 -8.0 -3.6___ K
AZM_ 137.5_ 3635___ 125.25 4553 -8.9 -7.2___ W
NBR_ 50.5__ 9900___ 43.5_ 4307 -13.9 -5.4__ U PDX_ 231___ 6495___ 192.0 12470 -16.9 -5.2__ AJT
DES_ 62.25_ 8030___ 51.5_ 4135 -17.3 -13.4_ H
TAD_ 9.375_ 53300__ 7.75_ 4131 -17.3 5.0___ Y
ASC_ 78.5__ 25480__ 63.25 16116 -19.4 -9.6__ ZZZZ
PKL_ 192.25 2600___ 154.0 4004 -19.9 -4.9__ H

total___________________ 468294 6.4 6.6
bought
NML_ 5.31__ 85750__________________________ W
SEO_ 10.875 39600__________________________ U
sold
AZM
NBR

Five of the top 6 remain in place with MOB moving up to 6th to replace AGL. [I will give comments on to 6 weekly movers over the weekend].

The battle for pre-eminence is hotting up amongst the tipsters. Top six are:

B Bosley 33.8%
S Seb___ 30.5%
W EWR___ 28%
M moneyp 23.1%
C capa__ 14.8%
U markus 10.1%

Is there any additional analysis that would be helpful. I thought I would give a full league table at the end of the month - without full names! I will also try to add capitalisation which is key in my share selection.

I also think it would be helpful if sponsors drew attention to any key dates or announcements as I can only really pick out the top performers.

Eric

Just got in from the pub, gutted that I'm only 5th.

What it is with you lot and SEO, I just don't get it ! All I see is a risky punt on a company with potential but no cash and a lost court case, enlighten me please as I have lost thousands watching this going up whilst scratching my head.

PS. Not a holder of BPRG :-)

capa

Its a marathon not a sprint capa , anyone beating the FTSE All Share Index is doing a lot better than the majority of fund managers.

ASOS , go look at my comments from a month or two ago EW , still feel the same but the difference being the chart now agrees with me.

wow! top of the league! capa, think nike , and just do it! there may be a buying opportunity next week. top of the league ........made my weekend.

Bos. Well done: not only top of the league but made a lot of friends with your backing for SEO.

capa. Always tended to go off too fast in the 10000m and the cross country - only done two laps of the former so far! Re SEO, suggest you have a good look at the thread. A good summary by TheFrenchConnection. Prelims are on 23rd Feb. so it should become clearer then; better still, take a stake before that date! ASDA contract could well be announced as it is known that trails have gone well and are in their last stage - proving the shelf like claims.

Dil. Don't need to look at the charts. Sold the lot though I am building up a strong CFD positio. Read John Marshall in Shares this week for reasons to buy at the current sp.

Eric

Bet Dil's happy tonight-good game Wales!

OK thats 5k on Wales at 2-1 .... I'm winning :-)

Dil : congratulations. The fans were described as DILirious so we will replace DILirium with that! EW