Portfolio of the Week

[Lyehopper]

POTW has always been a game. Sure...many of us actually trade competition picks "for real", adding icing to the cake for the good weeks......but at the end of the day it's a game, with no requirement to prove you actually traded it in order to get a place in the top 3 or good stats. Should we really care so much about the reality of whether an issue is actually shortable or not? Besides the time factor of checking IB, it's probably not even a good way to do it, for another broker might easily have or "find" shares to short when IB won't or can't. So whether others can actually short someone's else's pick or not, or whether the picker actually traded it or not, isn't the determining factor of success in this competition. It's the % figure from entry and how clever you are at picking direction. This competition is a pure simulation......with no focus on slippage or liquidity factors, no focus on real stops, no focus on sensible and logical limit orders most of us would surely use if we had the option. The true reality of what we're doing is beside the point, so why make an issue with shorting in reality? Shorting is fun, as I recently heard someone say. Let's keep the fun in this competition and not get too carried away with reality.

I think it's a good exercise to check the SHO list first when picking a stock to short sell anyhow.

And since this is only a game using IB's list is very easy and it's already in the current POTW rules.... so I say let the rule stand and have the small percentage of players who actually short sell in the contest check (that days) SHO list (on IB) before they sell short....

[Rob]

Spike and Lye, those are good comments. Thanks. With regard to the observation that we are somewhat removed from reality, not using stops, limit orders, etc., those things we normally use in real life, of course that is true. This question is a little different, I think, because it's not blocking something we could do if it were real, it's blocking something that we could not do if it were real.

If we are to continue using shorting in this contest, then I like the idea of using the Interactive Brokers site, due to its ease of use, as Lye points out. I remain open to suggestions of improved methods of making the determination, but until a better solution emerges, we'll keep doing things this way.

There is one other thing, though. I perceive a need to create an incentive for players to check the IB site prior to shorting, something along the lines of penalizing a player who attempts to short a stock that is listed as not shortable. I think a reasonable penalty would be that it counts as one of the two picks for the week, even though the position is never opened.

As far as I can tell, the Reg SHO list is updated more or less on a daily basis. So a stock that shows up on it today may not be there tomorrow. Whether the list can change in the middle of the day I do not know. But I would like to enlist the help of all who are willing and able to help me by checking up on newly posted short positions. Yes, I want you all to be KGB agents and turn in your neighbors who violate the rules.

[Rob]

Attention all players!!!

Rule #5 about shorting
has just been updated
and is now in effect!!!

[IIC]

Sell ABAX...buy LVLT...ICEMAN

[skiracer]

I happen to agree with Spike about having fun as opposed to becoming to rule orientated and having things super officiated and having to be exactly as in real life. I sold the stock short this morning in my account and that's all that counts with me. I got the sell order filled on MED regardless of the fact that it was apparent that it was somewhat of a contingency trade. Now I'm out in the cold without either play. I wouldn't have exited the MED position if I had known that I wasn't going to get the other side of the play with the short position in ACOR. I'm still in MED in my account so that's all that counts with me on that one two.
I wasn't trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes but really didn't know that IB was the standard that we go by. What means more to me is the call anyway. I think the short call on the stock was right on the money and the timing was right also. Maybe it'll end up in the green today but certainly seems to be downside orientated right now and I would be surprised if it recouped todays downside by the end of day.
Rob you're doing a great job with this game and since you are the one devoting your time to it then whatever you say goes an it is ok with me whatever rules you want to implement. It would be nice if you call it a push and let me have my position in MED back where I made the call. I promise I'll never do it again.

[Lyehopper]

I happen to agree with Spike about having fun as opposed to becoming to rule orientated and having things super officiated and having to be exactly as in real life. I sold the stock short this morning in my account and that's all that counts with me. I got the sell order filled on MED regardless of the fact that it was apparent that it was somewhat of a contingency trade. Now I'm out in the cold without either play. I wouldn't have exited the MED position if I had known that I wasn't going to get the other side of the play with the short position in ACOR. I'm still in MED in my account so that's all that counts with me on that one two.
I wasn't trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes but really didn't know that IB was the standard that we go by. What means more to me is the call anyway. I think the short call on the stock was right on the money and the timing was right also. Maybe it'll end up in the green today but certainly seems to be downside orientated right now and I would be surprised if it recouped todays downside by the end of day.
Rob you're doing a great job with this game and since you are the one devoting your time to it then whatever you say goes an it is ok with me whatever rules you want to implement. It would be nice if you call it a push and let me have my position in MED back where I made the call. I promise I'll never do it again.

Hey Rob.... Since you gave Billy his short this week I say you give Ski his.... and he does have a point that just because it shows up on IB's list does not mean that you can't actually short it thru another brokerage.

NOW NEXT WEEK? I SAY YOU GET NAILED IF YOU SHORT BEFORE CHECKING THE IB SHO LIST.jejeje ..... but of course your call is what counts "oh mighty keeper of the scorecard" and I respectfully submit to your decision.....

[IIC]

I say Rob keeps the score...then Rob makes the rules...Doug

[Rob]

I wasn't trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes but really didn't know that IB was the standard that we go by.

I don't think you were either, but the IB rule has been there for a number of months, ever since Spikefader suggested it last time the issue of shorting was raised. The fact is, I already made my decision, and to back off of it now would make my decisions wishy-washy and subject to being questioned at every turn; that is a road I'd rather not have to travel.

p.s. If a 7.41% gain equates to being left out in the cold, I should be left out in the cold every single week.

[grebnet]

Off Topic...sort of

Does anyone know of a site where I can enter a symbol and find funds that are holding it ??

edit...Ill answer my own question...I see you can get it on MSN but welcome other suggestions.

[Rob]

Does anyone know of a site where I can enter a symbol and find funds that are holding it ??

Yahoo Finance has that info. but only for the top 10 holders. Here's MSFT for example.

[IIC]

Sell ABAX...buy LVLT...ICEMAN

Nice move Iceman...the second you sell ABAX it goes up 70 cents...Well, another weak showing in the contest but at least my real holdings were all up...ABAX LVLT ICOC QLD

[Rob]

Week 41 (2), Final Results

Lawdy, lawdy, lawdy, Miss Claudi!!! Van McCoy done done the Hustle on us again, a real XING-er!!! With a huge, gigantic, enormous—and not only that but really big too—15.46% he hustles off the dance floor with the gold!!! (Speaking of the gold, this week the gold color wound up looking more the color of spicy brown mustard, but it's still gold. Trust me.) You da man, Van!!!

Da Mighty Kong beats upon his chest with a series of resounding thuds and lets out a mighty roar, because his gargantuan 10.3%, coupled with his jumbo 7.89% from last week, lands him squarely on top of the heap in Q4 average!! You da King, Kong!! We need an extra long ribbon to tie that silver medal around your huge neck!!

Grebnet is flying with the eagles this week! The PW Eagles, that is! He glued together a mess of that PVC pipe that PWEI makes and piped huge profits right into his hip pocket! Way to fly, Greb!

Despite some pretty heavy blows suffered by a few of our fellow players this time around, the active players still managed to turn an average profit of 0.16%! This is a good thing! Here's another good thing: the DJIA not only hit another all-time intrday high today, it also closed at that high of 11,960.51! Less than 40 points to go until the big 12k! Hey, man, the real estate market is starting to roll over, and a lot of those dollars are going to find their way into the stock market, so get ready to rock and roll!

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10
Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 | Week 17 | Week 18 | Week 19
Week 20 | Week 21 | Week 22 | Week 23 | Week 24 | Week 25 | Week 26 | Week 27 | Week 28
Week 29 | Week 30 | Week 31 | Week 32 | Week 33 | Week 34 | Week 35 | Week 36 | Week 37
Week 38 | Week 39 | Week 40

[IIC]

Congrats to Sticky, Dmk and Greb...You guys are $$$HUGE$$$

...Doug(IIC)

[skiracer]

I coulda been da champ maybe but I was ROBBED.

[IIC]

I coulda been da champ maybe but I was ROBBED.

You have to learn to follow the rules Ski

I coulda been a billionaire if my Can'tSlim theory had caught on