The Daily Workshop Report
by Robert Sheard (TMF Sheard)

Growth Screens 9.32% Relative Strength 3.72% Unemotional Growth 3.48% EPS Plus RS 2.11% YPEG Potential 1.06% S&P 500 Index -0.13% Investing for Growth -0.20% Low Price/Sales Value Screens 4.47% Dogs of the Dow 3.49% Dow Jones Ind Avg 3.33% Beating the S&P 2.38% Dow Combo 2.12% Unemotional Value 2.12% Beating the Dow

***Announcement: Today's numbers do not reflect the actual closing prices for Friday. I'm on my way to the airport and posted this report with the prices as of 3:30 p.m. (Eastern). The summary files I update each weekend will be posted Sunday evening and will incorporate Friday's closing prices.***

If it has to do with a car, the chances are 3 out of 5 that today it had a pretty good day. In other words, Texaco <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: TX)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: TX)") end if %>, Exxon <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: XON)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: XON)") end if %> , and General Motors <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: GM)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: GM)") end if %> were relatively big movers among our Value stocks today. The other two in the screens we follow here, Chrysler <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: C)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: C)") end if %> and Chevron <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: CHV)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: CHV)") end if %>, held their own.

With oil stocks surging of late, the simple high-yield approach called Dogs of the Dow has popped in early January. Three of the five holdings in that model screen are oil companies, so it's by all rights a miniature sector fund of sorts and beating the other approaches because of the rise in energy stocks this month.

As for the Growth screens, today's big winners were technology stocks. Compaq Computer <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: CPQ)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: CPQ)") end if %>, American Power Conversion <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NASDAQ: APCC)") else Response.Write("(NASDAQ: APCC)") end if %>, Applied Magnetics <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: APM)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: APM)") end if %>, and Western Digital <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: WDC)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: WDC)") end if %> led the pack. The one notable exception today was 3Com <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NASDAQ: COMS)") else Response.Write("(NASDAQ: COMS)") end if %>, which lost ground on an otherwise strong day.

With three of those big winners included in the already-strong Relative Strength screen, the approach is trying to get an early lap up on the field. But it's very early in the 1997 season to be predicting who will make it to the finals of the Wall Street Bowl here. Nevertheless, the screen has had a very good quarter already this week! Don't even try to annualize such a weekly return; it's frightening!

Have a good weekend. I'll do my best to get the weekly reports up early enough Sunday night to do you some good.

Want a little fun to go along with these screens? I've set up a little game called the Thoroughbred Stock Challenge. It's not officially a part of The Motley Fool, but they've been gracious enough to allow me to mention it here for the benefit of our readers. But please don't post questions on the Fool message boards or e-mail the Fool staff with questions about the Challenge. You can send any questions or comments directly to me at [email protected].

Once you visit the site, please make sure to bookmark it (or save it in your favorite places folder) so you can find it again easily. We're currently in the middle of the January contest, but the master stock list you choose from is posted so you can start doing your homework for the February Challenge. I'll open the entry form to take your picks for the February game starting on January 21st.