New year, new attitude: Monkeys crush Sensex, Nifty, brokers

No doubt about it, the Monkeys are on a roll.

For the week ending 27 January, both Monkey portfolios outshone their rivals. While Monkey portfolio 1 - a collection of 10 randomly-selected stocks from the BSE 100 ( see table here )-ended 3.7 percent higher, Monkey portfolio 2 - a selection off 10-randomly-selected stocks from the BSE 500 ( see table 2 ) - wrapped up the week with a 5.3 percent gain.

The benchmark indices, the Sensex and Nifty, in comparison, added on 3-3.1 percent.

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Even the brokers’ portfolio, comprising the stock choices of 10 brokerages ( see expert index in table 3 )- was no match for the magnificent Monkeys, adding just 2.6 percent.

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That’s not all: things are also turning around for the Monkeys for the period since inception (19 August).

Monkey portfolio 1 extended its gains from last week to 3.8 percent for the entire 21-week period. Yes Bank and Grasim gave the biggest boost, jumping about 24 percent each.

Monkey portfolio 2, meanwhile, has been steadily paring its losses – the portfolio is now just 4.1 percent down; at one point, it had lost more than 15 percent. Helping the portfolio mend was Aban Offshore, up 29 percent, and Noida Tollbridge, up 12 percent.

The brokers’ portfolio also climbed into positive territory for the first time in a long time, pocketing a 1.6 percent gain. Lifting this portfolio was Infosys, up 23 percent, and Kotak Mahindra Bank, up 14 percent.

Still, the biggest gainers during this period were the indices: the Sensex was up 6.8 percent, while the Nifty was up 7.4 percent. Given their current form, however, it might only be a couple of weeks before the Monkeys get on top of all their rivals.

In an exclusive interview to Firstpost last week, both Monkeys had reaffirmed their belief in the India growth story and insisted that they would not quit the markets despite their rather steep losses in the recent past.

Looks like that belief is starting to pay off. Firstpost has been told by a source familiar with the two Monkeys that they will be heading to Hakkasan, an exclusive Bandra restaurant, to celebrate their performance –and talk about future strategy. We’re told that Monkey 2 is especially keen on trying out the stir-fry lotus root and asparagus.

Come back next week to find out more!