Boring
Portfolio Report
Friday, December 5, 1997
by Greg Markus
([email protected])
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Dec. 5, 1997) -- The Boring Portfolio finished this first week of December by rising 1.13% on Friday, its sixth consecutive gain. That compared with advances of 1.10% and 1.27% for the Nasdaq and S&P 500, respectively.
Stocks rose despite Friday morning's news that U.S. unemployment had fallen to a 24-year low of 4.6% in November. You figure it out.
For the week, the Borefolio rose 2.71%, outpacing the Nasdaq's weekly gain of 2.08% and just behind the S&P 500's impressive 2.97% advance. Slowly but surely, the Borefolio is climbing its way out of the crater created from the implosion of former holding Oxford Health Plans (Nasdaq: OXHP) in October and the slightly less dramatic but equally unanticipated setback by Green Tree Financial (NYSE: GNT).
Green Tree shed $5/8 Friday, as interest rates rose slightly in response to the unemployment news. Nowadays it seems that when interest rates rise, Green Tree falls; and when interest rates fall, Green Tree falls. This, too, shall pass.
Borders Group (NYSE: BGP) eased $9/16 after touching its all-time high on Thursday. Borders announced plans for two new superstore openings. One is in Atlanta -- at Cumberland Blvd. & Cobb Pkwy. For those keeping score, that'll be Borders' fifth store in the Peach State and its second one in Atlanta. This other one will be in Fairview Heights, Ill., which is just across the river from Borefolio co-manager Mark Weaver's hometown of St. Louis.
On the up-side -- which is the side it's usually on -- Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO) picked up $2 15/16 to close a few pennies under $90. Comments from executives at Ascend (Nasdaq: ASND) to the effect that they are comfortable with the Street's 1997 fourth-quarter and 1998 earnings forecasts helped bolster networking stocks. That's a pleasant change from the kind of news that's come from Cisco's "rivals" lately.
Earlier this week, The Motley Fool published my recent interview with Cisco's Director of Investor Relations, Mary Thurber. If you missed it, I invite you to check it out.
Finally, Tidewater (NYSE: TDW) surged $4 5/8 as energy stocks rebounded after news from OPEC meetings and Iraq proved to be less momentous than some traders may have anticipated. I had been half-expecting to hear something from the folks in New Orleans by now about the sale of their gas compression division. I expect we'll get the news all in good time. They don't call it "The Big Easy" for nothing, I guess.
Speaking of things big and easy, I hope your weekend is like that... and mine, too.
Stock Change Bid CGO + 3/16 27.69 BGP - 9/16 30.44 CSL +1 3/16 44.63 CSCO +2 15/16 89.31 FCH + 5/16 36.63 GNT - 5/8 29.38 ORCL + 7/8 31.13 PMSI - 5/16 13.13 TDW +4 5/8 62.38 |
Day Month Year History
BORING +1.13% 2.45% 15.69% 33.12%
S&P: +1.10% 0.93% 32.81% 58.26%
NASDAQ: +1.27% 0.20% 26.56% 56.96%
Rec'd # Security In At Now Change
2/28/96 400 Borders Gr 11.26 30.44 170.41%
8/13/96 200 Carlisle C 26.32 44.63 69.52%
6/26/96 100 Cisco Syst 53.90 89.31 65.70%
12/23/96 100 Tidewater 46.52 62.38 34.07%
3/8/96 400 Prime Medi 10.07 13.13 30.35%
3/5/97 150 Atlas Air 23.06 27.69 20.08%
11/6/97 200 FelCor Sui 37.59 36.63 -2.57%
2/2/96 200 Green Tree 30.39 29.38 -3.33%
11/21/96 150 Oracle Cor 32.43 31.13 -4.03%
Rec'd # Security In At Value Change
2/28/96 400 Borders Gr 4502.49 12175.00 $7672.51
8/13/96 200 Carlisle C 5264.99 8925.00 $3660.01
6/26/96 100 Cisco Syst 5389.99 8931.25 $3541.26
12/23/96 100 Tidewater 4652.49 6237.50 $1585.01
3/8/96 400 Prime Medi 4027.49 5250.00 $1222.51
3/5/97 150 Atlas Air 3458.74 4153.13 $694.39
11/6/97 200 FelCor Sui 7518.00 7325.00 -$193.00
11/21/96 150 Oracle Cor 4864.99 4668.75 -$196.24
2/2/96 200 Green Tree 6077.49 5875.00 -$202.49
CASH $3021.10
TOTAL $66561.73
