FAMILY VALUES; NORTHRIDGE CLAN'S GAMBLE ON PENNY STOCK REAPS DIVIDEND.Byline: Deborah Adamson Daily News Staff Writer A risky gamble in the last leg of the contest propelled the Curtis family into the top spot of the latest version of the Daily News Stock-Picking Contest. Ralph, Rosie, Tori and Justine of Northridge took the top honors at the third annual competition with a portfolio value of $156,047.63 - or a 56 percent return for a six-month investment. The pivotal point for the family came on June 17, when they bought 5 million shares of Health Care Centers of America for a penny each, risking about half of their money. They had heard about the stock through an Internet chat room. The gamble paid off. Two days later, they sold 5 million shares for 1.9 cents each, easily doubling their money to $95,000 for a total of $164,831.62. From that lofty perch, they were untouchable untouchable Former classification of various low-status persons and those outside the Hindu caste system in Indian society. The term Dalit is now used for such people (in preference to Mohandas K. . What's amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. is that the Curtises have never bought stocks themselves, only investing in mutual funds. Little did they know that they would blow away more experienced investors. ``My primary expectation was to learn as much as I could. I pretty much didn't know anything about the stock market. Absolutely no previous experience,'' said Ralph Curtis, calling the victory ``90 percent luck and 10 percent research.'' As such, he turned away offers from relatives to invest their money. Due to market turmoil, the Curtises still haven't bought their first stock. Their portfolio ranged from food to computer stocks, but tech issues were the preference because Ralph Curtis is a computer consultant. But toward the end, tech stocks disappeared as the market turned topsy-turvy. Their final portfolio spanned a diversified group: Dole Food, Ericsson, Galoob, McDonald's, Caye Chapel Coordinates: Caye Chapel is a small island in Belize, 16 miles north-northeast of Belize City and 3 miles south of Caye Caulker. , BAT International and Health Care Centers of America. On Feb. 2, five families were given a fictitious Based upon a fabrication or pretense. A fictitious name is an assumed name that differs from an individual's actual name. A fictitious action is a lawsuit brought not for the adjudication of an actual controversy between the parties but merely for the purpose of $100,000 to invest in stocks. Their performance was measured by price appreciation, since dividends were not counted. They weren't allowed to short or use options or margins, but splits and spinoffs were counted. The six-month contest ended Friday. Three families handily hand·i·ly adv. 1. In an easy manner. 2. In a convenient manner. Adv. 1. handily - in a convenient manner; "the switch was conveniently located" conveniently 2. beat the S&P 500 (11.92 percent gain excluding dividends), the Dow Jones industrial average Dow Jones Industrial Average The best known U.S. index of stocks. A price-weighted average of 30 actively traded blue-chip stocks, primarily industrials including stocks that trade on the New York Stock Exchange. (9.57 percent), Nasdaq Composite The Nasdaq Composite is a stock market index of all of the common stocks and similar securities (e.g. ADRs, tracking stocks, limited partnership interests) listed on the NASDAQ stock market, meaning that it has over 3,000 components. It is highly followed in the U.S. (13.28 percent) and the Daily News/Bloomberg Index (4.35 percent). As contest winners, the Curtis family has more than one reason to cheer. Eldest daughter Tori recently won a gold medal gold medal traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize in the U.S. 18th Junior Olympics Tae Kwon Do tae kwon do Korean martial art resembling karate. It is characterized by the use of high standing and jump kicks as well as punches and is practiced for sport, self-defense, and spiritual development. In sparring, blows are stopped just short of contact. Championship while Justine came in fourth. In addition, Rosie Curtis received her doctorate in education from Pepperdine University Pepperdine University is a private institution of higher learning affiliated with the Church of Christ in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States. The university's location overlooks the Pacific Ocean and is adjacent to the city limits of Malibu. in May. Fred and Fran Jones of Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. came in second with a portfolio total of $134,089.77 - a 34 percent half-year return. While they're more experienced than the Curtises, their brokers mainly called the shots. The contest marked the first time they have invested on their own, albeit with fake money. They didn't do too shabbily shab·by adj. shab·bi·er, shab·bi·est 1. a. Showing signs of wear and tear; threadbare or worn-out: shabby furniture. b. . ``The contest has been so exciting and educational,'' Fran Jones said. ``We have become so much more knowledgeable.'' They now use a discount broker and will set aside $5,000 to $10,000 to invest in the market. Most of their savings are handled by a major brokerage firm. The Joneses started out in fourth place and moved into second on June 12, where they remained for the rest of the contest. Their strategy was to stick to companies they liked, buying more shares when the price was favorable fa·vor·a·ble adj. 1. Advantageous; helpful: favorable winds. 2. Encouraging; propitious: a favorable diagnosis. 3. . They bought Lucent three times, Microsoft twice and Pfizer three times after they heard about Viagra. Their final portfolio consists of Cisco, Dell, Lucent, Microsoft, Monsanto, Pfizer and Infoseek. Third place belonged to the Padilla family of Van Nuys: Joe, Sari, Kyle and Kristina. Their portfolio total is $125,704.45 - a 25 percent return. The family members were avid AVID Cardiology A clinical trial–Antiarrhythmics Versus Implantable Defibrillators that compared the effect of implantable defibrillators vs the best medical therapy–antiarrhythmics for survivors of MI or those with nonsustained ventricular tachycardia traders, placing 39 trades in six months. The strategy paid off, as they took profits and pared losses quickly. Starting out in third place, they fell to last in March, hurt by Compaq. They started bailing out of the company, initially selling 841 shares at $25.4375 even though they had paid $30.4375. When the price didn't recover, they sold their last 200 Compaq shares for $26.25. From three stocks, the Padillas started diversifying to minimize exposure to any one company. In late June, they moved to third place and stayed there. Their final portfolio: America Online See AOL. , Dell, Ericsson, Microsoft and Nokia. The Salomon family of Calabasas - Michael, Penny, Amanda, Scott and Alexandra - came in fourth with a $115,770.61 total (15.8 percent). They started out in last place. But from the beginning, their focus was not to be the best of the bunch, but to learn about investing. The Salomons did not let the contest pressure them into making investment decisions they normally wouldn't consider, such as betting everything on one stock. They placed the fewest trades: five in six months. In March, they moved to second place, helped by Coast Savings, which was bought by H.F. Ahmanson. The Salomons received new Ahmanson shares plus warrants in late February. They briefly touched first place before dropping to fourth in late June. Their final portfolio consisted of Columbia Capital, Costco, The Walt Disney Noun 1. Walt Disney - United States film maker who pioneered animated cartoons and created such characters as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck; founded Disneyland (1901-1966) Disney, Walter Elias Disney Co., General Electric, Global Telemedia, Limited, Philip Morris, Sears, Tootsie toot·sie n. Slang 1. Toots. 2. A girl or young woman. 3. or toot·sy A person's foot. [Origin unknown. Roll and Xerox. Henry and Natalie Brunell of Chatsworth finished fifth with a portfolio value of $103,863.31 - a 4 percent return. They started out in second place but lost momentum due to Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, Intel and Sunbeam. They bought Compaq at $34.0625 and sold it for $27.125. HP, for which they paid $76.6875, was sold at $60.833. Intel was purchased for $83.0625 and sold for $73.4843, while Sunbeam sold at $30 and was bought at $51.625. But they made a killing with a few stocks, most notably BankAmerica Corp., which they bought at $71.75 and sold for $91.125. The Brunells placed 44 trades in six months, the most of all contestants. ``A few times, I made the wrong decisions, but it was a good learning experience,'' Henry Brunell said. ``I'm glad it wasn't my own money.'' CAPTION(S): 6 Photos, 5 Chart Photo: (1--Color) From left, Fred and Fran Jones, the Salomon family, the Curtis family, Natalie and Henry Brunell, and the Padilla family all took part in the Daily News' Stock-Picking Contest. (2--Color) FIRST PLACE The Curtis Family Final value: $156,047.63 a 56 percent return The Curtis family, from left, Rosie, Tori, Justine and Ralph, took top honors in the stock-picking contest. They won with a strategy of buying a penny stock Penny Stock A stock that sells for less than $1 a share but may also rise to as much as $10/share as a result of heavy promotion. All penny stocks are traded OTC or on the pink sheets. Notes: Penny stocks are highly speculative and risky. . Terri Thuente/Daily News (3) SECOND PLACE The Jones Family Final value: $134,089.77 a 34 percent return (4) THIRD PLACE The Padilla Family Final value: $125,704.45 a 25 percent return (5) FOURTH PLACE The Salomon Family Final value: $115,770.61 a 15.8 percent return (6) FIFTH PLACE The Brunell Family Final value: $103,863.31 a 4 percent return Chart: (1) The Curtis Family (2) The Jones Family (3) The Padilla Family (4) The Salomon Family (5) The Brunell Family |
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