Entering the final quarter of the Year-Long Shares Race, Angie Ellis of 80 20 Investments holds on to her lead over the second-placed competitor.
At the end of January this year, 12 contestants selected 10 stocks with a hypothetical $10,000 in each.
We allowed our racers to refresh their portfolios since the last performance update five weeks ago.
Ellis swapped four of her stocks. She decided to take profits on her star pick, BigUn, which provides video marketing services to businesses, after her original $10,000 grew to $34,884. She also sold Isentia, Orora and Vita Group.
She ploughed 80 per cent of the proceeds of all four stocks into Lovisa, the fashion jewellery retailer.
Lovisa is an old favourite of Ellis', having performed well for her in previous four-week games.
Lovisa's share price is up about 10 per cent since the August 29 swap date and Ellis' holding is now worth almost $50,000.
Our racers have received no help from the market. Since the end of January, prices of Australian shares, overall, have remained unchanged with the S&P/ASX 200 index closing on Thursday at just over 5600 points.
Australian Financial Review journalist Phil Baker has closed the gap on Ellis with his portfolio worth $121,194, compared with Ellis's $134,614.
Baker is sticking with his original stocks, with A2 Milk Company continuing to be his star performer.
Baker's original $10,000 in the company is now worth $26,190.
The Shares Race is a fantasy shares trading game. The Year-Long Shares Race, running from January to December, has 12 players, including the dartboard, though only the top eight are shown in the graphic. Dividends will be added to the portfolios at the end of the game.
