No. 6: Microsoft
Q4 Return: -9%
Total Return: 6%
Investor: James Altucher
James Altucher is a strong believer in Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) — he picked it for two straight years. And in the beginning of the contest, his faith was looking pretty smart. Microsoft kicked off 2012 right, climbing over 25% from January to mid-March.
Since then, though, it’s been basically downhill. In the fourth quarter alone, the stock lost nearly double digits on disappointing core Windows 8 sales and the departure of Steven Sinofsky, head of the Windows division, soon after the launch.
Plus, a general lack of innovation from the tech giant sure isn’t helping things. The company’s new Surface tablet, for example, created some buzz this year, but that’s far different from making it a viable alternative to competitors like Apple‘s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad or Amazon‘s (NASDAQ:AMZN) Kindle.
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