And suddenly contest portfolios that were in the red are showing some small gains. John Thompson of Hilliard Lyons is in first place after three months. His five picks are up 7 percent, paced by perennial contest favorite Dell Computer. And for the first time in three months, there are more winning stocks in the contest than losers. The winner is the person with the most money after one year.
Contestants can shake up their portfolios only at the halfway point.
We are not calculating dividends in this year's contest.