Coronation for King Pritch as rivals see crown jewels slip away

SUNNY conditions caught most of our racers off-guard after they turned up to compete in raincoats and galoshes, when shorts and runners proved the go. Only a trio of our racers beat the 3 per cent bounce in the market, the rest straggled behind.

By InvestSMART · 19 Aug 2012

By InvestSMART ·
19 Aug 2012

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After an eternity of wandering through the wilderness, Richard Pritchard has charted a path back to the Throne of Investing Awesomeness, where he now sits and gracefully receives supplicants. Pritchard's top pick of Kibaran Resources, which is exploring for graphite and nickel in Tanzania, jumped more than 20 per cent in the final week to be up 36 per cent overall. Not far behind was IT consultancy Oakton, which sprang 18 per cent over the final stretch to finish 30 per cent higher.

Reader Tim Martin chased Pritchard gamely, but in the end was lucky to cling on to second spot after a barnstorming finish from architect Ian Burch. Burch added a massive 4.7 per cent to his pile over the final five trading days, only to fall an agonising $360 short of a silver medal. Ian's picks of Nido Petroleum (up 18 per cent) and Webjet (18 per cent) catapulted him up the ladder.

Martin, on the other hand, made just enough money to hang on. The savvy reader had a generally very conservative portfolio bar a couple of riskier stocks, both of which paid off handsomely. NSL Consolidated and Syrah Resources each finished about 20 per cent ahead, while it was only AGL Energy that lost some ground. Well played, sir.

Medical student Alice Pearlman slipped agonisingly outside the medals, let down by some horrid performances from OZ Minerals and Tabcorp.

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Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…

What happened to Kibaran Resources stock in the latest investing roundup?

Kibaran Resources — Richard Pritchard’s top pick — jumped more than 20% in the final week of the contest and finished about 36% higher overall. The company is noted in the article as exploring for graphite and nickel in Tanzania.

Which company delivered one of the biggest gains besides Kibaran Resources?

IT consultancy Oakton surged 18% over the final stretch and finished roughly 30% higher overall, making it one of the standout performers mentioned in the article.

Which other stocks posted strong weekly gains in the roundup?

Other notable strong performers cited were Nido Petroleum and Webjet (each up about 18%), and NSL Consolidated and Syrah Resources (each finished about 20% ahead). These helped several competitors move up the leaderboard.

How did most portfolio picks perform relative to the market’s 3% bounce?

According to the article, only a trio of the competitors beat the market’s roughly 3% bounce — most other picks lagged behind and “straggled” compared with that market move.

Did any well-known energy stocks lose ground in the contest?

Yes — AGL Energy was specifically mentioned as a stock that lost some ground for one competitor (Tim Martin) in the roundup.

Which picks hurt medical student Alice Pearlman’s result?

Alice Pearlman slipped just outside the medals after poor performances from OZ Minerals and Tabcorp, which let her down in the final standings.

Who won the investing contest and who came close?

Richard Pritchard topped the leaderboard and reclaimed the column’s top spot. Reader Tim Martin held on to second place, while architect Ian Burch mounted a late charge—adding about 4.7% in the final five trading days—but fell an agonising $360 short of the silver medal.

What did the results show about portfolio style in the roundup?

The article highlights that a generally conservative portfolio with a couple of well-chosen, riskier stocks paid off for competitor Tim Martin — his conservative holdings plus standout winners like NSL Consolidated and Syrah Resources helped him hang on to second place.