Chris Lau's  Instablog

Due to the closure of simitrade, some of the stock picks are now being tracked on the CAPS page at Motley Fool.

Advantages: Picks have a time-delay, reducing any user's ability to "game" the program.

Disadvantage: Picks are not weighted by allocation, so correct picks are based on absolute right or wrong ones.

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In the last 3 months, the 80.77 score was gained by making bear calls on nearly all solar energy company issues.

*** View the latest picks here. ***

First Solar (FSLR) is trading close to highs. A bear call was made on this issue.

Back on Kapitall.com, the total return remains stuck at 35%.

Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

A strategy for 2013 was posted here. Readers recognize that some of the small positional picks are not conservative ones. The approach will be the same as in the past: start a small position, and add to them as actual fundamentals get closer to the originally viewed outlook.

In other investments, the gaming sector is not the place to be right now, but things could improve as consumers realize that console gaming will tailor only to the big-hit titles. Console refresh will bring some interest back into this sector.

1. Updown - Up 9.7%

Microsoft (MSFT) dropped below $30 but the portfolio performed well with Liberty Media (LINTA). Microsoft shares were acquired at a lower cost in 2010.

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2. Simitrade - Up 1723% (down 259% in 3 Months)

Simitrade is a great way to track stock ideas - long or short. In the last month, the big increase in stocks meant exiting short-positions. Best to let the market ride up, and to minimize losses on the short-side. Losses in solar were extensive.

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3. Kapitall.com - Up 33% from Inception

A strategy document was posted here: http://seekingalpha.com/article/1109951-setting-an-investment-strategy-for-2013-with-these-ideas . The site is a good way to interact with other investors and to share entire portfolios.

How To Subscribe to Seeking Alpha Authors

Another user posted a very good set of instructions on getting email alerts from your subscriptions.

Note On Following Seeking Alpha Authors

Readers can get an e-mail once per day that lists all newly published articles of all the authors they follow in a single e-mail. If you are interested in getting these updates, here is how you do it.

- a - Go to your profile page on Seeking Alpha

- b - Click on "edit profile" anywhere in your profile

- c - On the left side of the screen, click on "email alerts"

- d - Scroll all the way down, and check the box for "author alerts"

- e - Then you'll be notified by Seeking Alpha once per day of new articles by all authors you follow (in a single e-mail)

If you have trouble with this, e-mail support@seekingalpha.com.

Performance

1. Updown.com

The decline for companies dependent on sales in the PC sector worsened. This led to lower returns. Microsoft (MSFT) is a large holding in this portfolio.

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1. Simitrade

The majority of the companies tracked continued to be in technology, at 52% of trades. Returns declined to 1787% all-time. Be aware that the returns are artificially higher than reality: returns are based on picks, have no allocation amount, and do not account for dividends paid (or owed, in the case of companies sold short):

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1. Kapitall.com

Cash continued to be the highest holding, followed by PIMCO's BOND ETF. Returns declined from October to 32.9%, down from 36%. Losses were incurred from Hewlett-Packard (HPQ). Its position was reduced in the last two months. Nintendo shares also declined 17% in the last 3-months, generating paper losses. It is believed that Wii U will do well. It will take time to gain traction.

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