Four weeks into our Stocks for a Volatile Market feature, our index has fallen just behind the Nasdaq, grounded mostly by shoe and apparel maker Steven Madden (NASDAQ: SHOO), picked by Kevin Kelly. After giving up $2.51 in week three, Madden dropped $3.39 in week four, falling 14.7% and leaving SHOO at $19.67, 17.77% under its August 16 price of $23.92.
Might as well get all the bad news out of the way -- it looks like Sheldon Liber's call, FreightCar America Inc. (NYSE: RAIL), has temporarily derailed. After strong gains in previous weeks, RAIL dropped $3.78 in week four -- a loss of 8.35% -- and slipped to $41.49, 4.4% under its initial price.
Last week we wondered how much longer Peter Cohan's pick Posco can (NYSE: PKX) would continue its fortunes. The answer's at least another week, as the South Korean steelmaker rose another 2.83% since last Thursday's close. Posco shares now sit at $162.15, 30.76% higher than their opening price August 16!
Still up 16.61% since our Volatile Markets feature, Chinese utility Huaneng Power International Inc. (NYSE: HNP) nonetheless edged lower for a second straight week. Sheldon Liber's top-performing pick fell 54 cents in the last week, closing Thursday at $44.30, up $6.31 from its initial $37.99.
Four more shares are outperforming the Dow and Nasdaq, which respectively rose and fell about half a percent in the last week.
Two picks from Steven Halpern posted 2.8% gains this week: General Electric (NYSE: GE)'s $1.11 rise leaves it 8.9% higher for the last four weeks, while Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) soared $2.75, closing yesterday at $98.95, $6.25 higher than its August 16 price.
Also beating the Dow and Nasdaq were Georges Yared's recommendation, Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT), which gained $1.03 this past week and now stands 7.76% higher than its August 16 opening price, and Sheldon Liber's selection, Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC), which padded its gains by 0.18% in the last week, putting APC 6.76% higher.
Two beverage giants sit on either side of the Dow's 4.38% gains in the last month: Georges Yared's pick Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) enjoyed a 2.21% gain in the last week and now stands 4.65% higher than its August 16 opening price. Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX), recommended by Steven Halpern, was sacked for a dime this week, leaving it up 3.27% from its August 16 opening.
Georges Yared's pick, Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), continues to oscillate tightly around its August 16 price -- BAC shares climbed 7 cents in the last week, closing yesterday just a penny up from its initial price of $49.85.
As an index, our recommendations now stand 5.75% higher since the volatile market stock picks feature ran four weeks ago, slightly underperforming the Nasdaq (5.78% higher over the same period) but outpacing the Dow (up 4.38% since August 16). Check in next week to see how our picks are performing, and let us know how your portfolio's doing!
See all the posts in this special report:
- Volatile Markets: 11 stock plays for turbulent times
- Steven Halpern: Stick with General Electric (GE)
- Sheldon Liber: Huaneng Power (HNP) is my pick for the next 50 years
- Georges Yared: Target (TGT) is the retailer of choice
- Georges Yared: Bank of America (BAC) offers low risk, high reward
- Steven Halpern: Starbucks (SBUX) is ready for a comeback
- Georges Yared: Coca-Cola (KO) is the Real Thing
- Steven Halpern: Bet on Boeing (BA)
- Sheldon Liber: Ride FreightCar America (RAIL)
- Sheldon Liber: Anadarko Petroleum (APC) has valuable fuel reserves
- Peter Cohan: Dip makes Posco (PKX) a bigger bargain
- Kevin Kelly: Steven Madden (SHOO) will wear well
- Gary E. Sattler: Precious metals are the safest place to be
- Zac Bissonnette: Just ignore it; don't try to time it
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