THE WIRED INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO
After a 21 percent bump this month, it's tempting to not change a thing and let the winners run. But PeopleSoft sank to $16 a share, and our stop-loss order forced the sale of our lone remaining enterprise resource planning stock. I'm happy to eat the loss before things get worse.
I'm buying 2,000 shares of Merck. Investors have shunned the pharmco recently, worried about slowing sales of the AIDS drug Crixivan and a lack of new nostrums. Both concerns are overrated.
Another virus play: Network Associates. The hype over the Melissa virus should be good for the virus-protection concern, and NETA is near its 52-week low. I'm buying 5,000 shares.
– Jeffery Wardell (jwardell@hamquist.com)
| Company| Primary Business| Symbol| Shares| Last Trade 4/1| Current Value| Since Purchase
HOLDING
| Holding
| Abbott Labs | Pharmaceuticals | ABT | 2,500 | 47 9/16 | 118,906 | + 4 %
| America Online | Online services | AOL | 6,000 | 150 | 900,000 | + 487 %
| Cisco Systems | Network hw/sw | CSCO | 4,500 | 109 15/16 | 494,719 | + 174 %
| Federal Express | Freight delivery | FDX | 1,250 | 96 1/8 | 120,156 | + 11 %
| Guidant | Medical devices | GDT | 2,500 | 61 3/16 | 152,969 | + 5 %
| Lucent Technologies* | Telecom eqpt | LU | 4,000 | 55 7/8 | 223,500 | + 69 %
| MMC Networks | Microchips | MMCN | 15,000 | 16 3/4 | 251,250 | – 7 %
| Microsoft* | Software | MSFT | 4,000 | 92 11/16 | 370,750 | + 121 %
| Nextel | Cellular provider | NXTL | 5,000 | 38 5/8 | 193,125 | + 31 %
| Pfizer | Pharmaceuticals | PFE | 1,500 | 139 9/16 | 209,344 | + 41 %
| Pilot Network | Net security | PILT | 7,500 | 15 7/16 | 115,781 | + 19 %
SELLING
| selling
| PeopleSoft | Enterprise sw | PSFT | 4,000 | 16 | 64,000 | – 51 %
BUYING
| buying
| Network Associates | Virus sw | NETA | 5,000 | 30 3/4 | 153,750
| Merck | Pharmaceuticals | MRK | 2,000 | 79 15/16 | 159,875
Cash| $| $317,562
One-Month Portfolio Performance+20.97%Russell 2000 Index| +1.103%
Legend: This fund started with $1 million on December 1, 1994. Profits and losses are reflected monthly. *Two-for-one stock split
The Wired Investment Portfolio (formerly TWIT$) is a model established by Wired, not an officially traded portfolio. Jeffery Wardell is a senior vice president in executive financial services at Hambrecht & Quist LLC and may have a personal interest in stocks listed in the WIP. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and not necessarily those of H&Q's research department. H&Q has not verified the information contained in this article and does not make any representations as to its accuracy and completeness. Wired readers who use this information for investment decisions do so at their own risk.
| NEW MONEY
| Quote
| Viral Bull
