The Boring Portfolio, 07/16/97: Boring Port Report

Boring Portfolio Report
Wednesday, July 16, 1997
by Greg Markus (TMFBoring)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (July 16, 1997) -- And the crowd goes crazy!!

A monthly consumer price report released this morning demonstrated for the umpteenth time that inflation has gone the way of Elvis: always in our minds if no longer with us in life. That sent the yield on the long bond under 6.50%. And that, plus a wave of upbeat earnings reports from technology companies, propelled the Dow over the 8000 mark and the Nasdaq to its largest one-day point gain ever: +39 to 1581.

That works out to a 2.50% one-day gain for the Nasdaq -- or about 200 Dow points for those of you who (like me) still convert Celsius into Fahrenheit to figure out how hot it is.

Well, it's hot. Records all 'round -- for all the major stock benchmarks and for the Boring Portfolio, which now sits at $68,476.

A modest $5/16 decline by ATLAS AIR <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: ATLS)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: ATLS)") end if %> was the Borefolio's sole loser on Wednesday. The daily Borefolio stats record CISCO SYSTEMS <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: CSCO)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: CSCO)") end if %> as a loser, but that's due to an erroneous recording of yesterday's closing price.

Apparently, the Borefolio anticipated Cisco's $1 11/32 gain today (to set an all-time closing high) and tallied it up in advance -- perhaps as a housewarming present for Mark Weaver, who debuted yesterday as a regular contributing Borefolio recapper. The plan is that ol' Doc Weaver will do the recap thing one day each week, as well as help yours truly figure out how to invest that remaining $7800 sitting in cash. I'm delighted.

In addition to Cisco, three other Boring holdings established record highs today: BORDERS GROUP <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: BGP)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: BGP)") end if %>, ORACLE <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: ORCL)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: ORCL)") end if %>, and OXFORD HEALTH <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: OXHP)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: OXHP)") end if %>.

Adding to the good news was a $2 5/16 surge by TIDEWATER <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: TDW)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: TDW)") end if %>. That moved the leading marine services company into the profit column for the Borefolio, and all nine holdings are now in the black.

Thursday promises to be a busy one for Boring stocks. GREEN TREE FINANCIAL <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: GNT)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: GNT)") end if %> will release its quarterly results before the market opens and follow up with a morning conference call. Also sometime that morning CARLISLE COMPANIES <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: CSL)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: CSL)") end if %> will report how its June quarter went, and will hold its conference call in the early afternoon. As is our practice, The Motley Fool will cover both events and will provide timely synopses.

Ahead of those reports, Green Tree grew $5/8 and Carlisle rolled up $7/16.

On Monday I wrote that today's recap would include excerpts from a recent conversation between Motley Fool writer Nico Detourn and veteran software businessman and investor Bob Sutton about the place of the Network Computer in Oracle's -- or at least Larry Ellison's -- grand strategy. Today's stock market surprise party has pre-empted that feature, and so it will be rescheduled for a later date -- most likely early next week.

Fool Message Boards -- what are Fools saying?
Evening News -- Big movers, up and down.
Daily Double -- How can you find the next double?
Daily Trouble -- Value in this beaten down stock?
The Fool Portfolio -- The Comeback Kid.
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(c) Copyright 1997, The Motley Fool. All rights reserved. This material is for personal use only. Republication and redissemination, including posting to news groups, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of The Motley Fool.

TODAY'S NUMBERS

Stock  Change    Bid
ATLS  -  5/16  23.25
BGP   +  3/16  26.94
CSL   +  7/16  35.50
CSCO  -  1/4   79.25
GNT   +  5/8   38.38
ORCL  + 15/16  57.38
OXHP  +3 1/8   84.13
PMSI  ---      11.88
TDW   +2 5/16  48.25

                   Day   Month    Year  History
        BORING   +1.26%   6.43%  19.01%  36.95%
        S&P:     +1.17%   5.81%  26.44%  50.67%
        NASDAQ:  +2.50%   9.61%  22.43%  51.84%

    Rec'd   #  Security     In At       Now    Change
  2/28/96  400 Borders Gr    11.26     26.94   139.31%
  5/24/96  100 Oxford Hea    48.02     84.13    75.17%
  6/26/96  100 Cisco Syst    53.90     79.25    47.03%
  8/13/96  200 Carlisle C    26.32     35.50    34.85%
   2/2/96  200 Green Tree    30.39     38.38    26.29%
   3/8/96  400 Prime Medi    10.07     11.88    17.94%
 11/21/96  100 Oracle Cor    48.65     57.38    17.93%
 12/23/96  100 Tidewater     46.52     48.25     3.71%
   3/5/97  150 Atlas Air     23.06     23.25     0.83%

    Rec'd   #  Security     In At     Value    Change
  2/28/96  400 Borders Gr  4502.49  10775.00  $6272.51
  5/24/96  100 Oxford Hea  4802.49   8412.50  $3610.01
  6/26/96  100 Cisco Syst  5389.99   7925.00  $2535.01
  8/13/96  200 Carlisle C  5264.99   7100.00  $1835.01
   2/2/96  200 Green Tree  6077.49   7675.00  $1597.51
 11/21/96  100 Oracle Cor  4864.99   5737.50   $872.51
   3/8/96  400 Prime Medi  4027.49   4750.00   $722.51
 12/23/96  100 Tidewater   4652.49   4825.00   $172.51
   3/5/97  150 Atlas Air   3458.74   3487.50    $28.76

                             CASH   $7788.54
                            TOTAL  $68476.04