Sharetrack100

So you think that with a million to invest you could beat the Street?The Irish Times and Goodbody Stockbrokers are offering you…

So you think that with a million to invest you could beat the Street?The Irish Times and Goodbody Stockbrokers are offering you the opportunity to pit yourself against the top stock pickers on Wall Street and elsewhere without the risk that your pocket will feel the pinch.ShareTrack 100, our fantasy share competition, gives you an imaginary purse of 1 million, 100 stocks to choose from and the chance to scoop a top prize of £15,000. Even if you do not emerge as the overall winner, there will be a weekly prize of £1,000 cash and one year's free share dealing through AIB for the contestant whose portfolio value has increased by the greatest percentage in that week.Contestants must invest at least 800,000 of their fund in a minimum of six companies or a maximum of 10. Between 50,000 and 200,000 can be invested in each firm.Portfolios must contain at least two Irish companies out of a total list of 38 which includes all the leading shares such as AIB, Bank of Ireland and CRH and a significant number of second-line stocks as well.Contestants must also choose two British companies out of a selection whichincludes well-known household names like Boots, British Airways, Marks & Spencer and Cadbury Schweppes.The rest of the portfolio must contain at least one continental European company, to be selected from a list of 15 blue-chip stocks, and one US-traded company from a list which includes a number of Irishbased firms such as Elan, CBT, Esat and Iona as well as leading US stocks like McDonald's and Coca-Cola.When choosing British and US shares, investors do not need to worry about the likely gyrations of the dollar and sterling against the euro as all currencies will be deemed to be of equal value for the purposes of the competition.However, when picking a portfolio investors should bear in mind that they are not really investing for the long-term so choose shares you feel are likely to do well over the three-month period of the competition. These could include companies which will report over that period and stand to get a boost from a strong earnings performance or upgrades, companies in acquiring mode or even potential takeover targets. The more volatile stocks, such as those in the technology or commodity sectors, may also deliver stronger gains over the shortterm than the more steady, solid performers favoured by the long-term investor.Contestants should also be aware that although they must invest at least 800,000 in shares to begin with, they can sell the shares in the weekly transaction and move into cash if they have a bad feeling about the outlook for the stock market. In the event of a crash, cash will always be king.To play Sharetrack 100, contestants should decide which companies they wish to invest in, identify their codes and make up their minds how much they are going to invest in each. Then pick up the phone, dial 1550-715-195 and discover whether you could be the new Rockefeller - or the next Nick Leeson.