Zacks.com introduces its Fourth Quarter Challenge top player interviews, which feature insights from the leaders of the Zacks Simulator game. The Simulator allows investors to prove their stock picking abilities by competing directly against other players for prizes worth thousands of the dollars.
Zacks recently caught up with Brooke Steneck (aka: bsteneck), who has positioned herself among the top ten right out of the gate. The Zacks 4th Quarter Stock Challenge just started and this savvy player has already managed to earn an overall return of about 16%. Brooke’s trade history includes plays on Allegheny Technologies Inc. (NYSE: ATI), Peabody Energy Corp. (NYSE: BTU), CONSOL Energy Inc. (NYSE: CNX), Titanium Metals Corp. (NYSE: TIE) and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD). Click here for the full story exclusively on Zacks.com: http://at.zacks.com/?id=2518
Highlights from the October 11 interview include:
What’s her approach?
Her approach and research process seems rudimentary and practical. Yet, it has led to several successful picks. While looking for securities, Brooke asks herself a few questions and acts accordingly. The screening process consists of “Do I buy the product already? Do I like it and can I identify the market ready for the product or service? Who are the management and where do they come from and what makes them so special?” noted Brooke.
Another strategy the Simulator competitor employs is to look for cyclical names. “My concept is to return to the cyclical stocks that have been on the downslide since May. Everything will come back around again,” she added.
Brooke’s trade history includes plays on Allegheny Technologies Inc. (NYSE: ATI), Peabody Energy Corp. (NYSE: BTU), CONSOL Energy Inc. (NYSE: CNX), Titanium Metals Corp. (NYSE: TIE) and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD). Click here to check out this competitor’s entire portfolio: http://at.zacks.com/?id=2515.
How about selling?
This stock picker admits that knowing when to sell is her area of weakness. However, this probably won’t be the case for long as Brooke, like many of her fellow contestants, is using the Simulator to brush up on any trading weaknesses she may have. She stated, “I have not yet figured out when to sell, that is why I am doing the Simulator challenge! It's much better than losing your actual money!”
How about advice?
For someone who claimed to not know when to sell, Brooke provided some sound advice by recommending that market newbies “sell when anything drops 10% in a day and go back and buy it later.”
This top player also suggested starting out small and urged stock players to remain levelheaded after a “great” day because a “bad” one may very well follow.
Check out the complete interview and learn more about the Simulator at: http://at.zacks.com/?id=2518
The Challenge is On! Do You Have What it Takes?
Sign up now for the Zacks Challenge. It's free. It's fun. It's the place to show your investing prowess. The best stock pickers will be rewarded with thousands of dollars in prizes. Learn more at http://at.zacks.com/?id=2520
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