Monkey 1 clambers ahead; Monkey 2 is out for count

Inch by inch, Monkey 1 is making progress. For the second week in a

row, Monkey portfolio 1 - a collection of randomly selected stocks from the BSE 100 -was the best-performer among rivals and benchmark indices, slipping just 4.2 percent.

The next best performers were the benchmark indices, losing 4.4-4.5 percent for the week ending 16 December. The brokers’ portfolio - 10 stocks picked by 10 brokerages - followed, sliding 4.7 percent.

Monkey portfolio 2 - a collection of 10 randomly selected stocks from the BSE 500 -slipped on a very, very large banana peel, tumbling a steep 8.5 percent.

After beating the pants off the indices and the broker’s portfolio for a long while, both Monkey portfolios are experiencing mixed fortunes now. While Monkey portfolio 2 continues to have a hairy ride, Monkey portfolio 1 seems to be recovering some of its verve.

Nevertheless, for the period since their inception - 19 August - they’re still being beaten by the Sensex and Nifty, which lost 4 percent each over the 17-week period.

The brokers’ portfolio grabbed the title of first runner up with a loss of 5.7 percent; the biggest loser in this portfolio was Larsen and Toubro, which lost 30 percent, while the biggest gainer was Infosys, up 22 percent. Six stocks ended in the red.

Monkey portfolio 1 dived a steeper 7.7 percent during the same period. The biggest loser was Adani Enterprises, which lost close to 41 percent. Nine out of 10 stocks lost value. The only winner was Grasim, which was up a meagre 9.5 percent.

Finally, Monkey portfolio 2 shed a whopping 20 percent, led by a shocking 61 percent loss in KSK Ventures, which recently concluded a share buyback for 20 percent of its outstanding shares (media reports said traders had heavily shorted the stock), and a nearly 50 percent loss in VIP Industries. Worse, not a single stock ended positive for the period between 19 August and 16 December.

For now at least, Monkey 1 seems to be having a slightly better time. All that reading on the greatest investors in the world must be having a positive effect.

Monkey 2, we last heard, had enrolled in a boxing course to boost his fitness levels. Who knows, some aggression might actually work to the advantage of Monkey 2, whose portfolio’s performance has been slumping lately.

Come back next week to find out if the boxing lessons actually succeed in helping Monkey 2 raise his stock market game.