Best articles of 2011 - your top picks

In more ways than one, 2011 was a tumultuous but largely satisfying year. That point was perhaps best encapsulated by the events of 5 Aug 11. In the United States the previous day, the market had fallen 5% and there was every likelihood that the local index would follow suit.

It did, which was the reason for Opportunities amid the falls, our most popular (as determined by the number of votes cast rather than average rating) article of the year.

One doesn’t have to look far to understand why. Not only did it list 17 companies we wanted to buy, and the prices at which we were likely to recommend them—a watchlist for the day, in essence—it offered members the confidence to act when everyone else was running for the exits.

Key theme

That’s a key theme of Intelligent Investor. As the article makes clear, we like to be greedy when others are fearful. Blue chips dominate best buys, published four days later and our fourth most popular article, and Chaos amid the storm: The upgrades, added grist to that mill.

For members that have joined us over the Christmas period, these articles are a great pointer to the companies you should be looking to add to your portfolio: many still reside on our buy list.

It’s all very well knowing what to buy but when the headlines capture the primal panic of rapidly falling share prices, it’s easier said than done. No wonder that articles that fleshed out how to respond in times of panic, including How to feel the fear and buy anyway and Why strong buy doesn’t mean load up, also proved popular.

Even with a watchlist and the confidence to act, another problem looms: Presumably your portfolio already has quite a few stocks in it. With 36 companies on our buy list, you can’t buy all of them (and nor should you). Research like 24 best buys cage match explains which ones are right for you while The buy and sell strategy fleshes out the recent revisions to our investing approach. If you haven’t yet read this article, please do.

Blue chip inclusions

Of the stock research that has made it into the top 20, blue chips including Woolworths, Westfield (both the group and retail trust), QBE Insurance and Telstra are noteworthy. A Stocks in Brief on secondline accounting group WHK was a surprise entrant, although it had fallen 16% since 2 Feb 11 (Long Term Buy - $1.05). That may well explain it. It’s since been upgraded to outright buy.

Education has always been an important component of our overall services so it was pleasing to see two entries from the new Macro column, The Greenspan Putsch and A debt crisis primer.

Providing you with profitable buy recommendations—and suitable sells, as in Blue chips and barge poles: Stocks to avoid—is our primary role but we also want to be able to explain the contexts from which they emerge. Macro is, as they say, for that purpose.

As in the previous 12 months, this year our focus will be on preserving the capital you’ve already got, and then building on it. Twelve months ago, Protecting what’s your: Top risks for 2011, was published and very well received, reaching second place in the top 20. On 24 Jan 12, we’ll publish this year’s thoughts so watch out for it.

Finally, it would be nice if this time next year when we produce the top 20 of 2012, the numbers in the ‘votes’ column were higher. Getting feedback from members helps us direct our efforts into those areas on which you place a high value so please, click those little yellow stars at the bottom of each article and have your say.