TheStreet Topples MarketWatch in Earnings Smackdown
Knockout for Moritz!
NEW YORK (
) -- In what can only be described as a knockout, TheStreet's Scott Moritz has won the five-day stock-picking "Earnings Smackdown" against MarketWatch's Cody Willard.
It was hard-drive duo
Seagate
(STX) - Get Report
and
Western Digital
(WDC) - Get Report
that delivered a one-two punch for Moritz's portfolio after Willard's whiffs on
Citigroup
(C) - Get Report
and
AT&T
(T) - Get Report
.
In the final tally it was Moritz with a 16.3% gain versus Willard's 2.3% loss for the week.
Willard never managed to overcome a bruising start in the stock fight.
Late last week, after one sniff of the
Goldman Sachs
(GS) - Get Report
fraud charges brought by the
Securities and Exchange Commission
, Willard said: "Let's sell some financials."
Investors didn't heed the call. Citi reported solid numbers Monday and even poked above the
briefly on Wednesday.
Willard's game improved late in the week and by Friday morning, his portfolio had the makings of comeback. A sell recommendation on Moody's by Willard "The Hedger" was right on the money, giving his overall score a 5% boost as of Friday.
But over on the other side, Moritz -- "The Hardcharger of Tech" - dominated with his choice of Western Digital, which carried nearly all the freight for the entire card.
The rules of this earnings week bout were simple. Last Friday, the two heavyweights picked five stocks reporting results this week. The fictitious but fiery contest pitted the two portfolios against each other. The picks were priced at the close on April 16 week and compared to the close April 23.
All Willard's picks and his no-holds-barred commentary are on his blog:
.
You can read Moritz' full rundown on his picks in
.
--Written by Scott Moritz in New York.
