Sensing a bottom in December 2008, I ran a screen of small cap, debt-laden firms that had been beaten down more than the market on average, and then selected a subset I thought worth looking into individually. At one point in early 2009, this portfolio was down 40%. It has skyrocketed since, up 300% since 12/09/08 when I ran the screen and started tracking the stocks (look at ZQK recently!). So much for the death of buy and hold. If only I had held on…
 No. |
Ticker | Company | Price | Change% | Volume | Transaction | Date | Shares | Cost | Market Value | Gain$ | Gain% | Change$ |
| 1. | ZQK | Quiksilver Inc. | 5.55 | -2.46% | 1,816,506 | Buy | 12-09-08 | 1 | 1.35 | 5.55 | 4.20 | 311.11% | -0.14 |
| 2. | PSUN | Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. | 5.92 | 4.96% | 1,114,473 | Buy | 12-09-08 | 1 | 2 | 5.92 | 3.92 | 196.00% | 0.28 |
| 3. | ABD | ACCO Brands Corporation | 7.89 | -2.83% | 100,461 | Buy | 12-09-08 | 1 | 2.1 | 7.89 | 5.79 | 275.71% | -0.23 |
| 4. | GBE | Grubb & Ellis Company | 2.20 | -3.08% | 465,213 | Buy | 12-09-08 | 1 | 1.15 | 2.20 | 1.05 | 91.30% | -0.07 |
| 5. | CMLS | Cumulus Media Inc. | 3.43 | -0.58% | 64,177 | Buy | 12-09-08 | 1 | 1.22 | 3.43 | 2.21 | 181.15% | -0.02 |
| 6. | VETS | Pet DRx Corporation | 0.30 | -9.09% | 2,000 | Buy | 12-09-08 | 1 | 0.37 | 0.30 | -0.07 | -18.92% | -0.03 |
| 7. | BNHN | Benihana Inc. | 6.42 | 1.26% | 8,750 | Buy | 12-09-08 | 1 | 1.72 | 6.42 | 4.70 | 273.26% | 0.08 |
| 8. | DXCM | DexCom, Inc. | 9.65 | -2.23% | 336,820 | Buy | 12-09-08 | 1 | 2.24 | 9.65 | 7.41 | 330.80% | -0.22 |
| 9. | KONA | Kona Grill Inc. | 4.38 | 7.35% | 29,693 | Buy | 12-23-08 | 1 | 1.35 | 4.38 | 3.03 | 224.44% | 0.30 |
| 10. | RAMR | RAM Holdings Ltd. | 0.70 | 0.00% | 0 | Buy | 12-23-08 | 1 | 0.32 | 0.70 | 0.38 | 118.75% | 0.00 |
| 11. | DDS | Dillard’s Inc. | 25.97 | 1.29% | 924,605 | Buy | 12-23-08 | 1 | 3.54 | 25.97 | 22.43 | 633.62% | 0.33 |
| 12. | UIS | Unisys Corporation | 36.85 | -1.56% | 405,869 | Buy | 12-31-08 | 1 | 10.1 | 36.85 | 26.75 | 264.80% | -0.58 |
| Total | 12 Stocks | -0.28% | 109.25 | 81.79 | 297.87% | -0.3 | |||||||
On March 13, a few days after the demonic low of 666, Tim posted a list of lottery picks. I tracked the portfolio. As of today, a little more than a year later, it is up 260%.
| No. | Ticker | Company | Price | Change% | Volume | Transaction | Date | Shares | Cost | Market Value | Gain$ | Gain% | Change$ |
| 1. | CAVM | Cavium Networks, Inc. | 25.63 | -0.50% | 297,079 | Buy | 03-13-09 | 413 | 12.12 | 10573.43 | 5573.43 | 111.47% | -53.63 |
| 2. | CDNS | Cadence Design Systems Inc. | 6.81 | 0.74% | 1,478,196 | Buy | 03-13-09 | 1,220 | 4.1 | 8304.88 | 3304.88 | 66.10% | 60.98 |
| 3. | FITB | Fifth Third Bancorp | 14.24 | -0.77% | 13,640,777 | Buy | 03-13-09 | 2,874 | 1.74 | 40919.54 | 35919.54 | 718.39% | -316.09 |
| 4. | HBAN | Huntington Bancshares Inc. | 5.88 | 0.51% | 31,600,404 | Buy | 03-13-09 | 3,205 | 1.56 | 18846.15 | 13846.15 | 276.92% | 96.15 |
| 5. | GLG | GLG Partners, Inc. | 3.11 | -2.51% | 1,003,102 | Buy | 03-13-09 | 2,083 | 2.4 | 6479.17 | 1479.17 | 29.58% | -166.67 |
| 6. | KLAC | KLA-Tencor Corporation | 31.61 | -1.03% | 2,745,672 | Buy | 03-13-09 | 274 | 18.25 | 8660.27 | 3660.27 | 73.21% | -90.41 |
| 7. | KWK | Quicksilver Resources Inc. | 14.93 | -2.74% | 1,726,524 | Buy | 03-13-09 | 1,044 | 4.79 | 15584.55 | 10584.55 | 211.69% | -438.41 |
| 8. | LINE | Linn Energy, LLC | 25.98 | -0.61% | 960,598 | Buy | 03-13-09 | 352 | 14.21 | 9141.45 | 4141.45 | 82.83% | -56.30 |
| 9. | LNG | Cheniere Energy, Inc. | 4.89 | 4.94% | 3,587,915 | Buy | 03-13-09 | 1,188 | 4.21 | 5807.60 | 807.60 | 16.15% | 273.16 |
| 10. | LVLT | Level 3 Communications Inc. | 1.63 | -1.21% | 2,257,214 | Buy | 03-13-09 | 7,813 | 0.64 | 12734.37 | 7734.37 | 154.69% | -156.25 |
| 11. | LNET | LodgeNet Interactive Corporation | 7.20 | -0.14% | 140,981 | Buy | 03-13-09 | 7,813 | 0.64 | 56250.00 | 51250.00 | 1025.00% | -78.13 |
| 12. | MTL | Mechel OAO | 29.35 | -3.68% | 2,372,832 | Buy | 03-13-09 | 1,377 | 3.63 | 40427.00 | 35427.00 | 708.54% | -1542.70 |
| 13. | OZM | Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC | 17.59 | 3.71% | 955,604 | Buy | 03-13-09 | 791 | 6.32 | 13916.14 | 8916.14 | 178.32% | 498.42 |
| 14. | SFD | Smithfield Foods Inc. | 20.85 | -2.34% | 1,759,318 | Buy | 03-13-09 | 642 | 7.79 | 13382.54 | 8382.54 | 167.65% | -320.92 |
| 15. | WFMI | Whole Foods Market, Inc. | 37.19 | -2.26% | 1,407,526 | Buy | 03-13-09 | 350 | 14.3 | 13003.50 | 8003.50 | 160.07% | -300.70 |
| 16. | WIN | Windstream Corporation | 10.99 | -0.48% | 2,461,238 | Buy | 03-13-09 | 705 | 7.09 | 7748.24 | 2748.24 | 54.96% | -37.38 |
| 17. | WYN | Wyndham Worldwide Corporation | 26.37 | -1.75% | 1,454,318 | Buy | 03-13-09 | 1,214 | 4.12 | 32002.43 | 27002.43 | 540.05% | -570.39 |
| 18. | XL | XL Capital Ltd. | 19.41 | -0.77% | 2,834,133 | Buy | 03-13-09 | 1,344 | 3.72 | 26088.71 | 21088.71 | 421.77% | -201.61 |
| 19. | CCRT | CompuCredit Holdings Corp. | 5.35 | -1.11% | 58,635 | Buy | 03-13-09 | 5,000 | 2.28 | 26750.00 | 15350.00 | 134.65% | -300.00 |
| Total | 19 Stocks | -1.00% | 366619.97 | 265219.97 | 261.56% | -3700.8 | |||||||
Hindsight is of course 20-20 but I guess I offer this up to the trading gods as admittance of defeat and a form of emotional capitulation that might bring on at least some measure of downside correction. What a rally it has been in the lottery picks, wow.
