Savings Experiment: Snow Removal
The Money Man Behind Rick Santorum: Who Is Foster S. Friess?Next week marks the beginning of 2008 and my two high school kids will also receive their first semester report cards, the moment of truth for them. It got me to think perhaps it was time to grade my own performance for 2007 on BloggingStocks. So here goes, the A's to the F's...
The A's:
- My recommendation of Aquantive Corp at $24 and stating that Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) needed to buy this company. It did at $66.50. Many readers and members of my investment web site made a near three bagger in less than six months.
- Recommendation of Color Kinetics at $19 back in May to only watch it get bought out at $34 by LG Phillips (NYSE: LPL) of the Netherlands.
- Recommendation of Kyphon at $37 and have Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) buy it at $71
- Recommendation of Opsware at $8 back in March and then again in May at $9 and have Hewlett-Packard Compaq (NYSE: HPQ) buy it out at $14.50
- Recommending Apple ( NASDAQ: AAPL) all year and re-iterating the buy since $80, now at $198 with a new price target at $300 for 2008
- Writing the exhaustive series of the Top 25 Stocks for the NEXT 25 Years back in May/June. Many of the stocks have been bought out and several are up more than 20%.
The B's:
- Recommending Crocs (NASDAQ: CROX) at $40 ( $20 post split) back in March to only watch it go up to $150, split 2 for 1 to $75. But I didn't get readers out at $75 and it fell back to $35, now at $39. Stock still a double for the year, but the momentum is gone for awhile.
- The five part series titled "the Good, the Bad and the Ugly: The Financial Stocks". I explained from soup to nuts how we got into the credit crisis and hopefully, how we get out of it!!
- Recommending Costco (NASDAQ: COST) at $54 and now at $69. Probably the best American retailer and should be a core holding.
The C's:
- Recommending Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) at $28 and then again recently at $22. This company is having its growth pains and should rebound more in the second half of 2008 as it faces easier comps.
- Recommending Target (NYSE: TGT) at $58. I was right till $68, but missed the top and the stock is back down to $51.
- Trashing Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) but not trashing it enough!!
The D's: OUCH!!
- Recommending the financials way to early back in July/August. I thought the second quarter results would have tempered the financial issues and credit crisis. I was way, way early.
- Still recommending the better managed financials like Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC). I know these two will emerge as stronger, more dominant companies sometime in 2008, but we are not there yet.
The F's: I don't think I have any yet, but I will let the readers decide!!..Wait, there is one: my defense of Countrywide Financial this past summer..
My proudest articles:
I have written 430 articles for BloggingStocks since I began this wonderful journey back in February 2007. My proudest piece is the one I wrote about remembering 9/11. It was personal. My other proudest piece was my defense of Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) after it allegedly missed the June quarter. The stock fell from $550 to $500 and has since risen $200 per share. Google is the most relevant company of our time and will likely become the most valuable company in the world over the next five years...but that's another article yet to be written!!
My overall grade, at least in my mind, is a B to a B- ... but you be the judge. Now for my kids report cards ...
Georges Yared is the CIO of Yared Investment Research .
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-28-2007 @ 12:29PM
Sheldon L said...
You left out an 'F' that put egg on both of our faces, Washington Mutual!!
Still, I would actually grade you higher...at least B+
12-28-2007 @ 12:40PM
roudy11z said...
I will pay more attention to Mr. Yared"s comments on the blog. It appears he sure beats "Fire Ball" Crammer. Roudy
12-28-2007 @ 10:27PM
Mr. noitall said...
Thanks for pointing out that Washington Mutual omission , Sheldon. Georges, go back and read your "Washington Mutual-Solid as a Rock" article which you wrote for BloggingStocks on 02/21/2007, and decide what grade to give yourself on that one. Maybe readers should go back and check your track record for the year themselves and not rely on your selective memory. Sorry Georges, but I expect alittle more honesty from our BloggingStocks writers.
12-30-2007 @ 12:24AM
CaMy said...
And you get an F for not handling your prospective/potential subscriber...
...........
"I am not going to spend the time to get to the bottom of this. I will send you a check. I am not an administrator, so if your address is attached, I will send you a check, if not, too bad. Enough time on a lousy $20, thanks, Georges"
12-30-2007 @ 5:12PM
Mr. noitall said...
Georges, Sorry I made a comment that was 100% negative. You do deserve credit for the numerous good picks you made in 2007. So, congratulations on an over-all good year.
12-30-2007 @ 7:31PM
chanat said...
Your AAPL analysis has been completely accurate and admirably bold. AAPL is a stock that people love to knock down; which makes you admirable when you have the guts to predict new highs for AAPL. Hindsight is going to prove your AAPL blogs absolutely correct. To me, AAPL's rising share price is one of the easiest predictions in my portfolio. Even if you don't like the stock, take bias and prejudice out, AAPLs current situation is probably even better than 2003 - when the whole iPod phenomenon took off. Think about it: AAPL has a solid revenue stable now: computers/phones/music/possibly TV! I bet we see AAPL between 225 - 250 in Jan 08.