How to Use Stockpickr
I’m thrilled to introduce you to the new redesigned Stockpickr.com.
Stockpickr remains one of the Web’s most dynamic stock sites, and our redesign will enable you to navigate the site -- and find the stocks ideas you need -- much more easily.
Now, let me show you how to get the most from Stockpickr every trading day.
Recommendations:When you enter in your portfolio of stocks look for portfolios that are related to yours. It’s best to look for Pro portfolios (the portfolios of the top hedge funds and mutual funds), top-rated portfolios, most-viewed portfolios, recently added portfolios, etc. Then, based on portfolios related to yours and various other criteria, you can come up with a blended set of five recommendations ranging from conservative to speculative. Browsing Pro Portfolios: Using a dozen or so databases, both public and proprietary, we've come up with the top 1,000 mutual funds and hedge funds and super investors (Warren Buffett, George Soros, etc.) and entered their top holdings into our database. Using Stockpickr, you can easily browse these portfolios, drill down on stocks that interest you and check out overlapping funds and portfolios. Spotlight Portfolios: Every day we highlight interesting portfolios that we believe are topical or investment-worthy -- which I'll also be writing about in my daily column on TheStreet.com (click here for a sample column on George Soros). These portfolios run the gamut: IBD’s list of top-rated stocks (using the publication's Canslim methodology) that are moving higher on unusual volume; the list of top 10 stocks trading below their current net asset value; the top closed-end funds trading at the highest discount to their net asset value; a list of alternative energy stocks that we think will do well; and many more. Top-Rated Portfolios: We keep track of the top-rated portfolios as ranked by the Stockpickr community. In addition to serving as a ranking mechanism, rating a portfolio also functions as a bookmark for you. All the portfolios you rate can be tracked on your home page at Stockpickr. Additionally, whenever a portfolio you've rated highly, say with a "4," gets updated, you receive an email informing you of the change. Most-Viewed Portfolios: It's interesting to follow the site's most-viewed portfolios. Warren Buffett's portfolio is usually a favorite, along with the "other oracle of Omaha" -- Wally Weitz, head of the Weitz mutual funds -- whose portfolio is the fifth most-viewed at Stockpickr. Another favorite is our list of Takeover Targets which is the 10th most-viewed. You can check the rest out here. Today's Lists: Each day, we present in "Stockpickr format" (that is, the ability to see which other portfolios own each stock), the lists of stocks that are particularly relevant for that day's trading:
- Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades.
- Biggest % Winners and Biggest % Losers from the prior day.
- Latest Activist Situations -- this portfolio, culled from from StreetInsider.com's 13D Tracker page, lists the situations where activist-oriented hedge funds are taking large stakes in companies and insisting on change to unlock value.
- Cramer's Lightning Round, a list from stock-filled segment from Jim Cramer's latest “Mad Money” TV show.
- Top Stock Buybacks -- where are the biggest share repurchases occurring? This is updated weekly.
- Insider Purchases is another portfolio we update weekly. We are believers that insider buying is often more relevant than insider selling.
- Besides these set portfolios, we also feature occasional screens such as Dogs of the Dow, Large-Cap Value Plays, Profitable low-priced NYSE stocks, potential short squeeze plays, etc.
Not only that but we have email alerts that are triggered every time a “today’s list” portfolio is updated. If you have a portfolio that overlaps with, for instance, “Stocks with Unusual Option Activity,” then you will get an email informing you of this when that list is updated.
If you trade a lot, go to this section. It features listings of various quant trading systems that could help you identify a potentially profitable trading setup. Check back daily to see what's setting up for that day. Systems include The QQQQ Crash-Plus, The 3x2 System, etc. And to see what you should do when it snows in Central Park in New York City, check out the The Blizzard System.
The Stockpickr Community: This is perhaps the most important, and certainly the most popular, part of the site. There are two main areas where the community kicks in. Stockpickr Answers and the Stockpickr Forum.On Stockpickr Answers, anyone can ask a question, respond to a question, and read other questions posed by the members of the community. I regularly respond to questions, as does Jim Cramer. We keep track of his best answers every day in the TheStreet.com's "You Ask, Cramer Answers" column. Beware, however, that the Stockpickr community monitors itself very strictly. So those planning to come here simply to bash Cramer or anyone else's picks, watch out. The community is an open one, but it's a protective one too.
The "Why I Like" comments, the "Why I Hate" comments, the forums and the internal messaging can all point the direction to new ideas and analysis. The Stockpickr Blog: We will be regularly updating the blog to point to our own analyses of the different portfolios and funds that are featured on Stockpickr. For instance, the best activist hedge funds to piggyback (and how to use the site to effectively follow the funds' positions), the most creative ETFs, etc. We also have the Stockpickr Blog Index in our blog area to link to the best blogs and analysis on the Net. Many of the bloggers also have a portfolio in the Do-It-Yourself portfolios and we consider the blogging community part of the Stockpickr family.