The picks you will find below have been included in the Stock Playbook over the past year. These are not our best picks, and definitely not our worst picks. They are just examples of what the playbook can do for your portfolio.

Small Chinese Advertising Company returns 177% in 3 months

On 2/6/08, we recommended:

VISN@ $7.79 (VisionChina Media) is a Chinese provider of real-time content advertising to 14 cities via 33,000 digital screens located on mass transport. While still relatively small, revenues have increased 999%, 987%, 570% and 995% during the last four quarters. The company is expected to announce its first profit shortly for 2007 and grow another 338% in 2008 to .57 cents a share. They came public in December at $8 and after trading as high as $10, has recently bounced off its lows around $6. We will establish half a position here and enter the remaining half on a pull back to $6.75. Our stop loss will be set at $6.

We never got the opportunity to add the second half of the position on a pull back to $6.75, but it is better to have half a position that rises 177% in 3 months than to not have had one at all. China's economy is growing faster than any other nation and with China hosting the Summer Olympics, we felt advertising was as good a place as any to invest our money and we still maintain a position today.

Oil is up and so is The Stock Playbook at 552%

On 3/7/07, we recommended:

FSLR @ $47.62 (First Solar) manufactures solar modules that provide electric power for residential and commercial markets in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Revenues have increased 60%, 197%, 146% and 288% over the last four quarters. After posting their first profit in 2006, they are expected to increase earnings 333% this year and another 215% in 2008 to .82 cents a share.

As you could see from our earnings projections, we were a little conservative. The company ended up earning $1.43 in 2007 and is projected to grow another 99% each of the next two years to $5.66 a share. When we first recommended this stock, Ted Turner said, "solar power was going to be the best investment opportunity that our generation has ever seen" and he has been right so far. The fact that oil has climbed from under $60 a barrel to over $120 a barrel during the last 15 months has certainly contributed to alternative energy stocks' gains. On 8/28/07, we sold half of our position at $92 for a 93% return in a little over five months. We've been playing with the houses money since, now up over 550%.

82% Profit in 29 Days!

On 4/15/08 we recommended:

QMAR @ $24.29 (Quintana Maritime) provides international marine transportation services for coal, iron ore and grain with a fleet of 29 drybulk carriers. Revenues have increased between 75%, and 203% during the last four quarters. Earnings are expected to increase 80% this year to $2.39 a share. We feel the drybulk shippers are ready to start their trek higher. We also like DRYS @ $70.32, TBSI @ $32.44 and EGLE @ $26.39, but have chosen QMAR as our drybulk shipper play. We are establishing a position here and will add to position on any weakness around $22 with a tight stop loss set at $21.50.

Imagine our embarrassment when QMAR was unavailable for trading the next day, due to a buy out from Excel Maritime Carriers (EXM) which somehow missed our radar. Thankfully, we also featured three other dry bulk shippers that we liked on that day. TBSI is up 82%, DRYS 57% and EGLE 35% since we recommended them last month and they look poised for more growth as China, India, Brazil and Russia continue to need raw materials shipped in and out. With the cost of steel so high, many of these companies have put off building up their fleet of ships and with the increased demand for these ships coupled with the shrinking supply, the rates they charge are expected to increase. This will help these companies sustain their growth and help them reach new highs.