Wildbots#2 holds onto lead for 3rd week in row

2/27/2007

For the third consecutive week, Robinson Junior High School's Wildbots#2 was the leader in The Blade's School Stock Contest.

The Toledo team was among the contest's top performers after the contest's fifth week and widened its lead over ECOSMAT from Gateway Middle School.

Wildbots#2 and five other teams advanced at least 4 percent last week, said Matthew Faltys, vice president and director of portfolio management for Fifth Third Bank (Northwestern Ohio), a contest co-sponsor.

The imaginary portfolios for a couple of those six teams held stock in Volcom Inc., a board-sport apparel company, but their advances weren't due to much duplication in holdings, he said.

"There wasn't really a particular stock," Mr. Faltys said.

More than 1,350 students from 37 schools are entered in the 16-week contest, which also is sponsored by The Blade's Newspaper in Education program. All teams started with a $40,000 imaginary portfolio, divided evenly at the outset among the four stocks. The portfolio that gains the most by May 11 wins.

The top prize is $250 for the team and $250 for its school, second place earns $150 for the school, and third prize place gets $100 for the school. Teams had to select stocks trading at $5 or more by Jan. 19.

Last week, 77 of 95 teams in the contest were in the black.

Wildbots#2's portfolio - made up of Whole Foods Market Inc., Visteon Corp., Unisys Corp., and Dynegy Inc. - reached a value of $45,844 at the end of last week. ECOSMAT's was worth $44,317.

The team that led after the first week, @(^.^)@ from Rossford Junior High School, was in sixth place last week. JBAD Inc. of Bowling Green High School, the second-week leader, was No. 12 last week.