Competition ahoy: Monkey 1, Sensex in neck-and-neck race

Watch out, the Monkeys are constantly on the move now. Or should we say ‘on the climb’?

After a lacklustre end to 2011, there’s no doubt that both Monkey portfolios have made impressive comebacks in 2012.

Monkey portfolio 1, consisting of 10 randomly-selected stocks from the BSE 100 , is now 10.5 percent higher since inception (19 August, 2011). That’s an even better showing that the Sensex, which rose 10 percent over the same period, and is just half a percent lower than the Nifty, which is up 11 percent ( _see table_ ).

Monkey portfolio 2, consisting of 10 randomly-picked stocks from the BSE 500 , isn’t doing too badly either, considering how badly bruised it was in the last few months of 2011: it managed to cling to positive territory by posting a marginal 0.4 percent gain ( _see table_ ).

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Even the arch-rivals of the Monkeys, the brokers, managed some aggressive action this year: comprising 10 stocks chosen by 10 investment experts, this portfolio climbed 7.4 percent for the 24-week period ( _see table_ ).

All the portfolios, which were drifting below their original investment value even as recently as December, have rebounded strongly on the back of a resurgent stock market that has seen more than $2.5 billion in equity investments since the start of 2012.

Those robust inflows also continued to keep almost all the portfolios in the green for the week ended 10 February. For a change though, the brokers’ portfolio ended as the week’s winner, as it pocketed a 3.5 percent gain. The top performer was MRF, up 13 percent.

The benchmark indices, in comparison, were up 0.8-1 percent. Monkey portfolio 1 wasn’t too far behind, scooping up a 0.75 percent gain. Dabur and Siemens were the top winners, adding on 5 percent each.

Monkey portfolio 2 was the only one that slipped, but only by a marginal 0.8 percent. Actually, it’s a commendable performance given that one of its stocks – Manappuram Finance – shed a steep 20 percent during the week after the Reserve Bank of India ordered it to stop accepting or renewing deposits from the public.

Firstpost has found out from sources close to the Monkeys that this weekend, our dynamic duo will be writing their own wish-list on what they think Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee should include in the Union Budget that will presented in Parliament on 16 March.

Their wish-list will focus on what is needed to lift the India growth story (which they continue to strongly believe in) several notches higher, especially from an investor’s point of view.

So, be sure to tune back in next week.