Suitably Flip

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Thursday, Week 1

[Scroll to the bottom for answers to today's Bonus Bucks trivia questions.]

Good news, bad news today.  I don't know about you, but I managed to move all 5 of my portfolios close to zero yesterday.  The down ones improved and the up ones pulled back.  The resulting numbers are wholly unbefitting the reckless, volatilitophiliac strategy I've been employing.

Anyway, for what it's worth, my best and worst are up 5.8% and down 4.6%, respectively, which translates to a ranking range of 5,148 (top 0.9%) to 542,249 (top 99.5%).

The leaderboard ranks, meanwhile, continue to show big numbers, with top-ranked Mark Williams putting up more than 21% (including bonuses) over the two days of performance currently reflected in portfolio values.  Mark, if you (or anyone on the leaderboard) happen by here and want to let us know what your picks were this week, we're eager to hear.  [See update below]

As for those World Series tickets on the line for this week's high scorer, I'd keep an eye on Peter LoBrutto.  With a 17.5% week-to-date return, he's well behind Williams, but 4 or more of LoBrutto's portfolios share the identical performance, so he has the luxury of spreading his chips across several different bets going into the final reallocation of the week.

Meanwhile, in currency trading, I'm pleased to report I'm doing remarkably well and continue to maintain my tied-for-first-place standing.

I'm going to dispense with today's slate of eligible earnings reporters, seeing as yesterday's crop turned out somewhat abysmally (Agilent is a notable exception, with shares up nearly 7% today), but I'll deposit them in the comments in case you're looking for high volatility plays to make today.

(Consider all of the above to be for entertainment purposes and not meant to be used as real-world investment recommendations.  The goals and strategies of the Portfolio Challenge are not to be confused with those of sensible investing.)

See all related posts in the CNBC Portfolio Challenge archive.

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Update: From the comments, #2 on the leaderboard Thiru Chandrahasan stopped by and was kind enough to share his picks, which were Bally Technologies (BYI), Canadian Solar (CSIQ), DTS Inc. (DTSI), and EnergySolutions (ES).

That was good enough for a 21% jump, through yesterday's close (though possibly softening today, depending on whether Thiru has since adjusted the holdings).  Good luck during the rest of the week.  If you manage to bump Williams from the top spot, be sure to wave to us from the World Series.

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Thursday, May 15th

Throughout the contest, each day's answers will be at the top of the CNBC Portfolio Challenge archive as soon as the questions are published, so bookmark accordingly.

Daily Trivia:

Squawk Box: "On May 14, Pimco's Mohamed El-Erian warned that the Fed is:"

  Answer:  Particularly challenged

Squawk On the Street: "Jeffries' managing director Paul Fremont loves dirty coal. On May 6, he recommended which energy stock?"

  Answer:  Allegheny Energy

The Call: "What did Jim Cramer call "the Tony Soprano stock"?"

  Answer:  Waste Management - No, it wasn't Emperors' Club VIP)

Power Lunch: "Web video hunt: Strategist James Altucher spoke on the May 14 Street Insider segment. What color was his tie?"

  Answer:  No tie - Sneaky... they seem to be trying to move away from questions that are answerable with a simple keyword search; now you actually need to find and watch specific videos.  (Or you can just return here.)

Street Signs: "On May 6, Fast Money asked "Is The Housing Crisis Over?" Guy Adami said the best trade was:"

  Answer:  Home Depot

Closing Bell: "In the slideshow, "Highest Paid CEOs," which big boss has the No. 1 paycheck?"

  Answer:  John Thain

Comments

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Thursday, Week 1

[Scroll to the bottom for answers to today's Bonus Bucks trivia questions.]

Good news, bad news today.  I don't know about you, but I managed to move all 5 of my portfolios close to zero yesterday.  The down ones improved and the up ones pulled back.  The resulting numbers are wholly unbefitting the reckless, volatilitophiliac strategy I've been employing.

Anyway, for what it's worth, my best and worst are up 5.8% and down 4.6%, respectively, which translates to a ranking range of 5,148 (top 0.9%) to 542,249 (top 99.5%).

The leaderboard ranks, meanwhile, continue to show big numbers, with top-ranked Mark Williams putting up more than 21% (including bonuses) over the two days of performance currently reflected in portfolio values.  Mark, if you (or anyone on the leaderboard) happen by here and want to let us know what your picks were this week, we're eager to hear.  [See update below]

As for those World Series tickets on the line for this week's high scorer, I'd keep an eye on Peter LoBrutto.  With a 17.5% week-to-date return, he's well behind Williams, but 4 or more of LoBrutto's portfolios share the identical performance, so he has the luxury of spreading his chips across several different bets going into the final reallocation of the week.

Meanwhile, in currency trading, I'm pleased to report I'm doing remarkably well and continue to maintain my tied-for-first-place standing.

I'm going to dispense with today's slate of eligible earnings reporters, seeing as yesterday's crop turned out somewhat abysmally (Agilent is a notable exception, with shares up nearly 7% today), but I'll deposit them in the comments in case you're looking for high volatility plays to make today.

(Consider all of the above to be for entertainment purposes and not meant to be used as real-world investment recommendations.  The goals and strategies of the Portfolio Challenge are not to be confused with those of sensible investing.)

See all related posts in the CNBC Portfolio Challenge archive.

---

Update: From the comments, #2 on the leaderboard Thiru Chandrahasan stopped by and was kind enough to share his picks, which were Bally Technologies (BYI), Canadian Solar (CSIQ), DTS Inc. (DTSI), and EnergySolutions (ES).

That was good enough for a 21% jump, through yesterday's close (though possibly softening today, depending on whether Thiru has since adjusted the holdings).  Good luck during the rest of the week.  If you manage to bump Williams from the top spot, be sure to wave to us from the World Series.

---

Thursday, May 15th

Throughout the contest, each day's answers will be at the top of the CNBC Portfolio Challenge archive as soon as the questions are published, so bookmark accordingly.

Daily Trivia:

Squawk Box: "On May 14, Pimco's Mohamed El-Erian warned that the Fed is:"

  Answer:  Particularly challenged

Squawk On the Street: "Jeffries' managing director Paul Fremont loves dirty coal. On May 6, he recommended which energy stock?"

  Answer:  Allegheny Energy

The Call: "What did Jim Cramer call "the Tony Soprano stock"?"

  Answer:  Waste Management - No, it wasn't Emperors' Club VIP)

Power Lunch: "Web video hunt: Strategist James Altucher spoke on the May 14 Street Insider segment. What color was his tie?"

  Answer:  No tie - Sneaky... they seem to be trying to move away from questions that are answerable with a simple keyword search; now you actually need to find and watch specific videos.  (Or you can just return here.)

Street Signs: "On May 6, Fast Money asked "Is The Housing Crisis Over?" Guy Adami said the best trade was:"

  Answer:  Home Depot

Closing Bell: "In the slideshow, "Highest Paid CEOs," which big boss has the No. 1 paycheck?"

  Answer:  John Thain