The Stock Market Game Semester in Review: Fall 2007 Top 10 Stocks

Editor's note: The 10 best-performing stocks were in the portfolios of the statewide winners in the Stock Market Game's 10 largest state programs (California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Texas).

Now that The Stock Market Game program has concluded for the fall semester and coordinators are busy verifying rankings, the most frequent questions students ask are "What stocks /funds made up the winning portfolios?" and "What was the value of the highest portfolio?"

During the trading session, students are usually very secretive about their stock picks, afraid that rival teams will "steal" their investment strategies as well as their hot stock picks. At the end of October of this year, we highlighted five stocks that experienced phenomenal growth since early September.

This week we will highlight five of the best-performing stocks included in winning Stock Market Game portfolios during the fall semester. What's surprising about this week's list is that all of the stocks are new and that none of them were highlighted in October. China is well represented, as are alternative energy companies.

The end of this story features a list of 10 of the fall semester's best-performing stocks.

The Countdown

5. MasterCard (MA Quote - Cramer on MA - Stock Picks): It is the No. 2 payment system within the U.S., behind Visa. The company does not issue debit or MasterCard credit cards but rather markets the cards as well as the Maestro brands, provides the transaction and authorization network, establishes guidelines for use and collects fees from members. While many on Wall Street feel consumer spending is down, this doesn't seem to have affected the company, as the price of its stock has gained 61% since early September.

4. Baidu.com (BIDU Quote - Cramer on BIDU - Stock Picks): This company is the Google (GOOG Quote - Cramer on GOOG - Stock Picks) of China. Its mission is to provide the best way for people to find information as it hosts a series of [Internet] services including news, MP3 and image search. The name "Baidu" was inspired by a poem written more than 800 years ago during the Song Dynasty. The poem compares the search for a retreating beauty amid chaotic glamour to the search for one's dream while confronted by life's many obstacles. The company's stock price jumped $170.05 per share, generating a 78% return since early September.

3. Sun Tech Power Holdings (STP Quote - Cramer on STP - Stock Picks): As the world's third-largest solar-cell manufacturer and the leader in China, Sun Tech Power creates products that are used in residential, commercial, industrial and public utility applications, such as lighting for street lamps and garden lamps, as well as mobile phone networks.

2. China Natural Resources (CHNR Quote - Cramer on CHNR - Stock Picks): The company has seen a 149% increase in its stock price within three months; its primary function is to mine zinc and iron through its Wuhu Feishang Mining Development subsidiary.

1. First Solar (FSLR Quote - Cramer on FSLR - Stock Picks): Finishing in the top spot with a 153% increase in its stock price since September, this company makes solar-power modules with a thin-film semiconductor technology that doesn't use silicon, and nearly all of the company's sales of solar modules are to five customers in Germany. As a side note, according to Hoovers.com, the estate of John Walton, who started Wal-Mart (WMT Quote - Cramer on WMT - Stock Picks), owns 54% of First Solar.

The Top 10

Kudos to those teams who included these companies in their portfolios! Other top-performing companies for the semester include LB Foster (FSTR Quote - Cramer on FSTR - Stock Picks), Monsanto (MON Quote - Cramer on MON - Stock Picks), Amen Properties (AMEN Quote - Cramer on AMEN - Stock Picks), Telefonica SA (TEF Quote - Cramer on TEF - Stock Picks) and Apple (AAPL Quote - Cramer on AAPL - Stock Picks).

And as for the portfolios with the highest equity , some portfolios exceeded $180,000 in assets , which is truly remarkable during such a volatile market this fall. (But please keep in mind that the average Stock Market Game portfolio lost money, so teams shouldn't feel too bad if they finished "in the red.")

We hope you enjoyed The Stock Market Game program this semester, and we encourage you to participate in the spring!

Have a wonderful holiday and well-deserved break!

The Stock Market Game Program Top 10 Stocks, Fall 2007 The following 10 stocks were the best-performing stocks in the portfolios of the student team leaders in the Stock Market Game's 10 largest programs (CA, FL, GA, IL, MA, NJ, NY, PA, VA, TX).
Ticker	Company	Closing Share Price 9/4/2007	Closing Share Price 12/13/2007	Per Share Gain	Rate of Gain
1. FSLR	First Solar	$98.13	$248.35	$150.22	153%
2. CHNR	China Natural Resources	$10.17	$25.36	$15.19	149%
3. STP	Sun Tech Power Hldgs	$36.38	$79.2	$42.82	117%
4. BIDU	Baidu.com	$216.95	$387	$170.05	78%
5. MA	Mastercard	$138.11	$223.2	$85.09	61%
6. FSTR	LB Foster	$35.46	$54.56	$19.1	53%
7. MON	Monsanto	$71.29	$104.99	$33.7	47%
8. AMEN	Amen Properties	$5.67	$8.05	$2.38	42%
9. TEF	Telefonica SA	$73.6	$99.84	$26.24	35%
10. AAPL	Apple	$144.16	$191.83	$47.67	33%

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