May Up or Down Winner Counts On Luck and Past Performance

Past performance may not guarantee future results. But analyzing a stock's past performance played a role in helping Jing Mai, our TradingMarkets Up or Down Stock Contest Winner for the month of May, collect $1,000 in prize money just a few days ago.

"I realize that the stock (pick) is more luck than anything else," Jing admits in an e-mail. "I really don't know that much about the stock when I make a guess."

Maybe not. But Jing, an accounting student at Babson College, also admits to doing a little research before making a guess on a stock's direction. "I do follow the market closely," Jing writes. "I normally look at the market the day before and see if there's any big news. Also I look for news and past performance (in) the stock."

All in all, it only took Jing 5-10 minutes each time to make the picks that helped this college stock picker become $1,000 richer - just in time for summer.

Jing, like last month's winner, learned about the TradingMarkests Up or Down Stock Contest after reading about the contest at Yahoo! Finance. And despite some impressive stock picking prowess, Jing Mai actually spends more time with exchange traded funds.

"I have a few positions, mainly ETFs that track the market," wirtes Jing. "Mid-cap and small-cap."

Smart stock picking on the one hand and sound, tax-efficient investing with exchange-traded funds on the other? What's not to like about that?

Congratulations to Jing Mai - our TradingMarkets Up or Down Stock Contest Champion Stock Picker for the month of May!

If you've been on the sidelines, then now's your chance to get in the game! Play the TradingMarkets Up or Down Stock Contest for your chance to win $1,00 a month by correctly guessing the direction of a stock! Click here to register for free today!