Land Borrowing by Belinda K.

Land is a very useful resource all over the world. In some countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and South Korea, they do not have enough good land or water to feed their native people, so they started to look outside their boarders. They said, "If we can't grow our own food, we'll grow it somewhere else." I think the innovation of renting countries will have a big effect in some countries but not others. This is because some countries already have good resources, meaning they will not need to rent. This is mainly targeting countries with low resources. I personally do not think it will be the new "it" item in America, but in other countries like South Korea, it will be. This is because in America we have far more soil and resources than other regions and countries. I as an individual cannot rent a country because of lack of money and I have no reason to. However, other companies like U.N's Food and Agriculture Organization will have some use.

Walgreen's -- your clinic? by Danny V.

The innovation described in the article is Walgreens, the drug store giant, opening up its own universal heath care system. They are trying to make health care more accessible, available to everyone, and less expensive. I think that it will have a specific market and a little bit of a mass appeal. I believe that the poor and the people with no health care will want to have this service. Also the people in the middle class may not want to pay very much money for health care and they might use this too. I don't think this innovation will have to much affect on the rich because they can afford good health care and may think the service might not be the best at a Walgreens. I think this very well could be a fad for a while because not many people can afford health care right now with the economy the way it is. Also, I think it will be a good service coming from the biggest drug store in America. I think it will fade away after the president figures out the health care plan and the economy goes back up. I would use this service because it is affordable, they have quality physicians, and it is close to my house.

Cash for Clunkers Applicances by Pugs (Matt B.)

Cash for clunkers has ended, for cars. Cash for clunkers has also just begun, for old energy-hogging freezers and refrigerators. I think this will have appeal only in one group though. This group is the people that have less need for upgrading their appliances because they will be the ones being asked to get new products. This program is supposed to stimulate the economy. I think that lots of people will look into this for about a year and then fade away. I think this because once all the old appliances have been recycled and people all have new ones they will forget about this program. I would look into this if I had an old freezer or refrigerator so I would have some (free) cash to buy a new one.

Sony's Daily Edition by Kate P.

Sony's Daily Edition is a brand new potable reader with a touch screen. It uses AT&T's 3G network to wirelessly download not only books but also newspapers and magazines too. The main difference from an Amazon Kindle is that you can download your reading material from multiple places not just Amazon.
I think that portable readers will be a large success. I believe this specific edition will do well for a couple reasons. It is able to use ePub, which many libraries use to lend their electronic books. You can also download your text from a number of places where as the kindle can only download from Amazon. I think that the idea of portable readers will last a long time. However, with how quickly we are able to create new technology I think this specific model will be in and out quickly.
I do not really have a need for this product at the time because I have access to my school library and am satisfied with the Variety of books there. However, I do think that it is a good product for adults on the go.

For Profit Colleges by Nate J.

A man named Michal Clifford has six colleges with almost 100,000 students- with 90% of them studying online. Today, for-profit colleges enroll 9% of all students, many of them in online programs. I think this will have mass appeal because with online colleges, you don't have to pay any college professors. That is why many for-profit colleges today are switching to online programs. You also don't need to buy text books, so you can make college cheaper and more accessible to people with a lower income. This will have a huge effect on the economy, more people will be going to college, and playing important roles in the community. I believe this will stay the "it" item for a long time, because people will like that they can get schooled at home, instead of having to come to a school building every day. This will also cut back on deforestation, because of the paper saved from the use of the text books. I would definitely buy this product, because I like the sound of the idea of getting school at home, it can be made cheaper, and it helps the environment.

Caring Celebrities Support Volunteering by Mackenzie G.

A new and interesting innovation has been rising in the world of famous celebrities. Many celebrities have become spokespeople for various different charities, causes, and other organizations. The main focus of this is to get more people involved in volunteering for these wonderful causes by having a glamorous celebrity support them. I think that a lot of people will be drawn to support the many charities and organizations that multiple celebrities represent, but that many people will not end up supporting the various causes. I believe that most people will not actually support the causes because they can't with their strained expenses through the recession or because they already support a charity that they think is more important. However, I do believe that volunteering because of inspiration through a celebrity will be the next big thing to do. Many people choose to volunteer when they see celebrities working to gain support for a charity or cause because they see that the celebrity is taking enough time out of their busy schedule to support the cause, so they think that they can take time out of their day to do some good, too. Celebrities can also be very convincing and inspiring about giving up just a little bit of time every once in a while to help those who are less fortunate than we are.
I would definitely support this service because I think it's cool to see my favorite Hollywood idols and role models supporting a truly good cause. The caring celebrities make me think about all the good things I have and about sharing them with the many people who don't even have a fraction of the things that I get to enjoy every single day.

Rising Dough by Mara H.

Panera Bread looks like the next big thing. This chain of small cafes is a hit with many different people coming in and enjoying the freshly baked bread and the many delicious types of foods they have to offer. They also offer a place for friends and family to gather as well as free Wi-Fi. They have a very diverse community from business associates to study groups. The business seems to be doing well and is said to be opening a new bakery every five days. I think the atmosphere sounds serene and calming. It also sounds like the perfect place for quiet lunch date. The food choices sound magnificent and I am definitely open to trying this trendy new restaurant.

iMo Controller by Zig (James M.)

The iMo Controller is so amazing that it will definitely change the gaming world. Basically the iMo Controller is an app that allows you to play iphone games on a computer screen. The iphone is the most expensive joystick you can buy. Everyone will want to buy an iphone if they don't have one now. The iMo Controller will be the next "it item" throughout the world. It will appeal to mainly ages 10 through 60. The iMo Controller changes everything we know about gaming and is a sure hit. This is just the beginning; imagine actually "tossing" cards while playing online with friends. I would definitely buy this product because it brings video games to the next level. Watch out Xbox, PS3, and Wii there is a new player on the block.

The Carwash by Kaitlyn S.

Mr. Clean is one of the most recognizable names in household cleaning. Now, Mr. Clean has expanded his magical services into a full service car wash. The company is trying to make the carwash a national icon, but for now they are testing the product in a few areas. They are adding things to their carwash to make it a step above the rest and draw customers in. Some of these features include an upscale lounge with TV and Wi-Fi, a coffee bar and even water guns, full of soap that kids can use to shoot the cars as they pass by. I believe the product targets a certain group instead of the entire market;I believe that the main group is families. If the parents need to get their car washed, entertaining kids at other carwashes can be difficult. At the Mr. Clean carwash, kids can stay entertained and parents can even check emails or get a coffee, without worrying about irritable children. Other customers probably wouldn't care about the other amenities and would probably choose to go to another carwash. Will it be the next "it" item though? I believe that it has its charms but they are likely to get old. During the company's research, they found that people got excited when they heard about the new carwash, but I don't believe that it will last. I think it will be treated like a new toy, fun for awhile, but put away to collect dust soon after. The carwash seems like it would be cool and entertaining for the first couple of times, but people will probably get sick of it. I personally, would be interested in checking out this carwash. I believe that it could easily take a boring errand, and change it into a more interesting task.

Xerox Recycling by Eric J.

The new copiers made by Xerox can be made from parts of previous copiers. These copiers may have been broken or sold back to Xerox for money after they have become too old to have use in the fast paced modern economy. Major companies will want these copiers because they will cost less to buy them than new copiers because new parts do not need to be formed. Doing this also helps the environment because materials are not wasted and energy used to create the parts. The effect this item will have on the economy is that the prices will go down because it will cost less to produce these copiers. These will be on the market for a long time because when they get old they can be turned into new more efficient copiers. I would not buy this product because I would not have a use for a copier.

Pac-Man on your iphone: by Jack O.

The innovation described in the article I read was about a man by the name of Jonathan Kromrey wanting to bring back the classic NAMCO games. Not as an arcade game, but an application for your Iphone/Itouch. These are the games that include Pac-Man, Donkey-Kong, Helicopter Game and many others that I'm sure you've heard of before. I think adults from the ages of 30-45 will really enjoy this because first of all, they are amusing games in my opinion. Second of all, these were the people who grew up with these games as a kid and it might bring back childhood memories of them playing it. I also think some children and teens might like it and might not. I say that because we have way more advanced games now-a-days and the old NAMCO games might not fulfill the needs of a modern child's gaming experience. They also might like it because they can get addicting and sometimes; simplicity is perfect. I really don't think this is going to affect the economy in a drastic way but it will be a pretty big hit at first. I think it might fade a little bit but then plateau after its success. I really think I would buy this because of what I said before, it can be addicting and fun, and they are simple games which can be good. The only problem is I don't have an Iphone or Itouch for these games. [Editor's note: I think we know what this author would like for his birthday!]

Addicting Games for your iphone by El Nino (Jason W.)

Games from the popular website AddictingGames.com are now available to play on the IPhone. They have already released games in the App Store like iPark It and Stunt Dirt Bike. These games will be popular. Many kids from ages 12 to 20 have an IPhone or an ITouch and will want some fun games to play. I think that these games will be popular at first. But as time goes on and new games come out, they won't be as popular. I would buy the games that Apple is coming out with; the games at AddictingGames.com are fun and entertaining.

Eco I.Q. by Kayla K.

In this article, about ecological intelligence, a question is asked: Are people going to want more information on ecology in order to know what to do in life? Are the companies that we depend on going to use this to help not only the profit they make but also the people they make it for? I think that the scientists will want to look at what the outcome might be and when they do, it probably is something that everyone is going to want to know and that will make a great impact on the country.
I think that some people will start to look into it and then once they do, those people will tell others and when that happens, everyone will be more aware of it, start to think more about it, and want to know what it is and how it works.
As for myself, I would want to look at ecological intelligence because this could be something that I could learn, and in turn help
others learn information and use it to better the planet.
Ecological intelligence will be a big part in the future.

Eco-Friendly Plastic by Drew H.

A revolutionary new plastic has just been developed by Novomer will soon change the way we deal with carbon dioxide. This plastic is able to contain large amounts of the gas and store it without leaking back into the environment. Instead of making regular plastics, which are made of oil, this one cuts down on the flammable substance and replaces most of it with carbon dioxide. These plastics will be utilized the same way as the former plastics. Also, this polymer can be recycled while still holding in the CO2. I believe that this will be mostly bought by industries to help get rid of their carbon dioxide emissions, but there is a potential for popularity among consumers. Some versions of the plastic are already in use today and more are expected to come out in the next year or so. I think that in due time, this polymer can allow companies all over the world to produce goods without releasing too much waste into the atmosphere. I would most likely buy this product; but in a car or in something else using plastics. This could be the turning point into a cleaner and brighter world.

TILT by Michaela S.

Tilt is a new video game for the iPod Touch and iPhone. Tilt is the first accelerometer game for both the iPhone and iPod Touch. Nicole Lazzaro designed this game. She has spent twenty years studying the emotion and player experiences in video games. Lazzaro says that hardcore gamers love challenges. The gamers want to feel frustrated right up until they almost throw the controller, and then get a breakthrough. With Tilt, there is a completely different world of emotion. Users will only play for about five to ten minutes at a time, but will "snack up on games the whole week." Tilt has a specific group of people who will want to buy this game. This group of people includes almost everyone with either an iPhone, iPod Touch, or both. Tilt is probably a fad that people will go through. Bigger, better and more exciting video games for the iPod touch and iPhone will come out. People will then buy these games. Although Tilt may still be on their iPod/iPhone, they probably will not play it as much. I would buy this product if I had an iPhone or an iPod Touch. Will you buy this item?

You-powered Thermostat by Katherine L.

The innovation in my article was Blow, a thermostat that you can control with your lungs. If you think that the room feels too chilly, you blow on the thermostat with your mouth open, as if you were warming your hands in the winter. If you think that the room is too hot, you blow with a pursed mouth, as if you were cooling a bowl of soup, to turn on the air-conditioning. I think that Blow will have a mass appeal. Almost everybody has a thermostat, and it's so easy to use. However, I think that Blow will be a fad. When it first comes out, everyone will want it because it's the newest technology. After a while, people will realize that a normal thermostat is just as easy to use, and probably costs less, so I think that its popularity will fade away. I would not buy this product. I think that it will probably be expensive, and I can do just as much with a normal thermostat.

Africa: Business Destination by Maria S.

Using Africa for business may help many people get jobs and help businesses thrive. I assume a lot of businesses would want to bring their business into Africa because if they get workers there, they can pay them a lot less. Africa would help businesses because it has a lot of resources. One large resource is wood. This could help a lot of businesses such as paper companies. I think making Africa a business destination would help the economy because more businesses would grow, and then those businesses could sell more things. When you have more things to sell and they are inexpensive, more people will buy the goods and that would help our economy. Personally, if I owned my own business I think it would be very beneficial to move some production to Africa because you wouldn't have to pay workers in Africa as much as you would in the United States. So then, if you don't have to pay your workers a lot of money, that leaves more money left over to help your business grow. That money could be used for things such as advertisement. Overall, I think using Africa as a business destination could give many companies a lot of growing opportunities.

Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market by Matt F.

The Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market is a food store that can be found within a grocery store. It is a small market that has a variety of different foods. The Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market is a help for all of those who don't want to spend their time looking for the item they want. It gives you an easy and quick option that helps the family budget. This innovation will appeal to all of those who need a quick thing for not a lot of money. It could also appeal to the people who are looking for a good healthy choice, because it features an assortment of already packaged salads. The Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market will hang around for a little, but I don't think it will be a big deal. I don't think it will stay around because not everyone knows about it and not everyone will shop there all the time. I wouldn't use this service, but my parents might. They will be most likely to use it for the times when they just need to get a quick thing like a gallon of milk in the morning. That is the Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market.

Animoto, Yay or Nay? By Andy S.

Animoto is a quick easy way to make an audio/visual presentation. You can find it online at animoto.com; it is so easy that you can do it from your iPhone. It takes ordinary photos and automatically turns them into fast paced, MTV-style music videos.
I think that not everyone needs such a program to make presentations. It might reach out to teachers and educators to make a "snazzy" presentation. Despite this, it won't be popular. There isn't a demand for movie/presentation editors. People who often need to make presentations usually have and know how to use their own professional software where they have more control over the content and the flow. So it won't be the "it" product. I think that it might hurt the economy a tad bit because it's making video editing too easy. It can take business away from the actual movie making biz.
4. I would not buy this product. I enjoy making my own presentations on my own software. It takes the fun out of it. I also like having control over the content in my presentations, which I donÆt think Animoto gives you.

Lovely Lattes of McD's by Jake R.

My new innovation is the Italian-espresso at McDonalds, it is a latte. I think this drink would have a mass-appeal to everyone. I think it would have a big effect on the economy because there aren't that many people who don't like a good cup of Joe. I would buy this product because it looks awesomely good.

igames at your fingertips by Chris R.

NGMCO and "+" (PLUS) are two big names in the iPod touch and iPhone gaming industry. PLUS+ is a global tracking leader board. Anyone who develops an iPod game can incorporate PLUS+ into their game. NGMCO is a company that makes games for an ipod. Anyone that plays ipod games has probably heard of PLUS+. Many games include the ability to track your scores. This lets you compete with other people who have the same game as you.
Most people with an ipod have some games on it. Games appeal everyone and an ipod is extra portable and is the perfect platform for a huge business. These ipod games will be in demand as long as ipods are. I do use this product. I love my ipod and I have several games with PLUS+ on them. I like plus because it lets me compete with my friends or with people who have the top scores.

Rebuilding the Roadways by Zach B.

President Obama has authorized rebuilding the torn and broken roads of our country. He visualizes the big picture instead of just putting up fresh asphalt and building new and stronger guard rails. He believes these new big roads could become the backbone of a larger network of railways and broadband cables, and even a more efficient electrical power grid. These roads will stay important for years to come because every day people need to get around, whether it is from your home to your neighbor's house or on a road trip across the nation, people will always be looking for more efficient ways to get around. These new roads that Barack Obama has instructed be built will definitely have a mass effect on our nation. I believe this because I think everyone will benefit from having more roads that are bigger and in better condition. I personally would help fund these roadways because it would help me get from place to place more quickly and easily. Overall, this is a great innovation that will effect our whole nation in numerous positive ways.

New Quarter, New Reviews

With the start of a new economics class, Cardinal Numbers will be treated to a new batch of insightful reflections and updates from the SJMS consumers of the future! Enjoy this first set of innovation reviews as students reflect on whether the new will last, and how it will affect the economy in the long run.

Survival Stores: by Shanqwa (N. U.)

Survival stores are a whole new kind of store. It would be the store of the future. Most retailers have attacked the recession by discounting their products to pennies on the dollar. But the whole system is in disarray, and 70% off isn't the sole solution. At a survival store you could get low-cost food, clothing built to last a few winters, a bike to substitute for the new car you can't afford-while offering experiences that help you cope during these difficult times. Survival stores will have everything -- experts could offer some sensible device or you could meditate with a local yogi. With this store it's plain and simple, there's no muddled marketing pitch. Even if the economy comes back why would you still waste money on things you could have for a lower price and will last you longer? These stores will help people with lower income get food on the table for their families and with the money you save you could even go on a vacation etc.

Jared P.

I thought I had a good portfolio because I made a good amount of money of 5% with $596.95. My top stock was Callaway with $265.08. I invested in Callaway, Johnson and Johnson, Nike, Yahoo, and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group. All of these went up except Johnson & Johnson. I think these stocks went up because of Christmas. I think that had a significant role on all of these going up. I think all of these went up because of these companies coming out with new and popular things. I had a total loss of $6.20 with Johnson & Johnson, the only negative stock.

Kailyn S.

STOCK LOSS/PROFIT
Ford $419.89
Apple $228.10
Kraft Foods $97.68
Amazon.com Inc. $84.30
Hershey Co. $83.44

Total Profit: $913.41

Was this a good portfolio? Why or why not?
Yes. I think this was a good portfolio because I made a lot of money, and picked stocks that I knew would rise with the season. I knew Apple would rise because it was Christmas season and people would be buying a lot of technology for gifts. Also, the Amazon.com Inc. would be used for buying/giving gifts. Plus Ford was steadily rising because now, more and more people are buying cars. I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen with the Hershey Co. stock, but I now realize that it was a good, safe investment because it rose, but not extremely fast. I think I did well for never having done this before, and am glad that I had some luck.

Hannah M.

My Stocks were BAC (Bank of America), IBN (ICICI Bank), GE (General Electric Company), MCD (McDonald's), and RT (Ruby Tuesday). I bought BAC for $15.11 and I got 132.36 shares. I bought IBN for $34.28 and got 58.34 shares. I bought GE for $15.84 and got 126.1 shares. I bought MCD for $62.08 and got 32.22 shares. I bought RT for 6.92 and got 289.01 shares. I made a total of $587.76 over a three week period. I think this was a good portfolio because I made more than I lost. I think the banks did well over Christmas because people are taking out money to buy stuff. McDonald's could've done better, but in theory people might try to get off of fattening food. Ruby Tuesday did ok, but I think people might stay home and eat a good home- cooked meal. I think overall the portfolio was good.

Caitlin D.

Stocks

McDonalds
Wal-Mart
Microsoft
Rockwell Automation
I.B.M.

Total profit: $202.66

I thought it was a good portfolio because I gained money. The only stock I lost money on was McDonalds and I lost $24.00. From Wal-mart I made $26.64 and $73.45 from Microsoft. I earned $30.90 from I.B.M. and Rockwell Automation was my best stock and I earned $95.67. I think McDonalds might have done badly because people eat at home a lot during the holidays. I think Microsoft did well because a lot of people buy computers for Christmas.

Sam C.

I bought the stocks Activision, Apple, Yahoo, Google, and Sprint. I made a total of $751.28. I think I had a great portfolio because I made a lot of money. I think I made a lot of money because of Christmas. I think that played a major role in my money gain. Activision was my best stock because I made $223.26. In addition, none of my stocks lost any money. I think Activision did really well because they came out with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Mike W.

STOCKS: Ford, Sony, Verizon, Time Warner Cable, Under Armor

PROFIT: $432.14

DESCRIPTION: This was a good portfolio because I gained $432.14 in 21 days. I put around $10,000 dollars and got $10,400 out of it. 4 out 5 stocks made me money. I believe the main thing that made these stocks do well, was the season. It was throughout the Christmas season and people spend more money around this time. If people want to make money off the stock market, before Christmas, is a good time to do it.

Seth F.

During the course of my economics class we had to track stock and make a pretend stock portfolio. We all got $10,000.00 to put in stocks. We choose five stock holders and invest $2000.00 in each of them. So I invested in Puma, Adidas, Asics, Nike, and Apple. I got 9 shares with puma that coast $234.78. Then I got 52 shares with Adidas that coast $38.63. I then got 2 shares of Asics that coast $850.00. I also got 31 shares with Nike that coast $63.50. Then I got 10 shares of apple that coast $192.60. Then on January 6, 2010 we sold our stock and I made a profit of $426.23. I was +$6.57 with puma, +$1.35 with Adidas, +$4.00 with Asics, +$4.13 with Nike, and +22.54 with Apple. With all of the shares I had, my profit went up. The reason I think that my stocks went up is because we bought it during the holiday season and people were buying new products and buying more that they get on average. So even though I had my stocks for about 4 weeks, I still had a good portfolio.

Conner Z.

STOCKS: Cisco Systems, Apple, Activision, Nike, Walt Disney
TOTAL PROFIT: $332.09
DESCRIPTION: In general this was a good portfolio. I made a profit in 4 out of my 5 stocks. I lost money in Walt Disney probably because it was around the holidays and many people wouldn't be visiting Disney at that time. I probably made money with Apple, Activision, and Nike because it was the Christmas season and people would buy gifts of these products.

Danny B.

The stocks that I bought were Verizon, Apple, Yahoo!, Fastenall, General Electric, and Southwest Airlines.

My total profit was $640.47.

This was a good portfolio because I made a lot of money. I think that some of my stocks did well partially because it was Christmas time. Southwest Airlines made some money probably because people go places for Christmas to go on vacation and to visit relatives. Apple probably did well because for Christmas, people asked for iPhones and iPods or made returns to get one. Verizon and Yahoo! probably did well for the same reason. I'm not really sure what Fastenall is and General Electric (GE) just periodically keeps going up. This ended up to be a great portfolio.

Zach. A

Stocks: Activision, Apple, Google, Sprint, AT&T


Total Profit: The total amount of money I gained from all of my stocks was $623.81.

I thought that this was a very good portfolio because my stocks never lost any money. My stocks increased a fair amount over that period of time. I gained the most money from my Activision stock. I gained $223.26. I believe that my stocks increased so much over the holidays because of the Christmas season and everyone was buying ipods, phones, and computers. I think that Activision did so well because of Modern Warfare 2, a great game. Sprint probably did well because they released the palm pre, an interesting new touch screen phone. I thought this portfolio was great!

Emily L.

On December 16, 2009, I invested in five stocks. These stocks included Goggle, Abercrombie and Fitch, Barnes and Noble, Campbell Soup and Jordan Opportunity. I was given $2,000 and bought as many shares of stocks as I could afford. I took a slight loss in my investment this time around. All of my stocks that I invested in went down except Jordan Opportunity. Abercrombie and Fitch but only went up by a dollar or two. I think that these two stocks in particular went up because of the Christmas season! I had a lot of fun watching my stocks go up and down through out the period of time.

Grant F.

My stocks were Nike, Google, Whole Foods, Apple, and Microsoft.

My total profit was $389.92.

I think it was a good portfolio because I gained a decent amount for each stock. The stocks increased their values over the time we were tracking them. I think my stocks did well because my stocks sold items like shoes, gaming systems, food, and computers. The time when we were tracking them was during Christmas, so there were a lot of products being sold. I'm glad I bought the stocks I did at the time I did.

Hannah W.

During this semester, I invested in General Electric, At&t, Kraft Food Inc, Intel Co., and Yahoo. Overall, I thought this portfolio went very well. I bought General Electric for $15.87 a share and I bought 126 shares. I purchased At&t at $27.26 each share and I purchased 73 shares. Kraft Foods Inc. was $26.83 each share when I bought it and I bought 74 shares. I purchased 104 shares of Intel Co. stock which was $19.14 per share. Lastly, I bought Yahoo for $15.95 per share. I bought 125 shares of it.
I thought this portfolio went great. I gained $557.02 and unfortunately lost $37.80 in General Electric so in total I made $519.22. Yahoo, Kraft Food Inc., and Intel Co. went really well so if I could've held on to it longer, I would've. At&t was all over the place if I could have, I would've sold it on or around December 30th. In all though, I am really happy.

Morgan C.

I recently invested in many stocks, including Nike, Macy's Inc, Google, Apple and Disney. For each stock I invested in I got 2,000 dollars to buy as many stocks as I could afford.
Two out of the five stocks went up in price per share. My biggest loss was surprisingly Google. I also lost a couple dollars in Macy's Inc and Disney. I think I mostly lost money in these two stocks because Google is a semi-risky stock to invest in, because you never know how many people will or won't use Google for there search engine. Most likely Disney's stock went down because it is winter and it is colder in Florida, so not many people will want to go to Florida when it's cold out.
Apple products are a big seller during Christmas time. That's probably why Apples stock went up. Nike is also a huge seller during the Christmas season. Mostly because of all the spiffy shoes that people like.
Overall I made a little profit with all my stocks. I was very happy in what I made and I was even happier in how much I learned. Hopefully now it will give me a better view on buying stocks when I get older.

Evan H.

My stocks were Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Best Buy, and Activision Blizzard, INC. The total profit on the stocks was $528.04. I thought this was a good portfolio because all of the stocks went up and all of the stocks increased about a dollar. The reason I think they went up is a lot of people went shopping for Christmas and bought electronics from the companies I had stock in. Nintendo I purchased for $29.54 and it now is $33.15; this was my best stock and it had just gone down the day before so I was sure that over the next weeks it would most likely go up. I was correct and it went up almost $4. I had 68 shares, so it had a profit of $272. I was happy with my shares, and if I had to buy 2 of the stocks I used, I would buy Microsoft and Nintendo.

Aimee C.

I recently invested in five stocks on December 16, 2009. These stocks included Target, Verizon, Coca-Cola Enterprise, Yahoo, and Dell. For each stock I was given $2,000 and I bought as many shares as I could for each of these.
Of the stocks that I invested in, four out of the five increased in price. The one loss I did have was in Verizon. The other four roughly gained about $0.50-$1.75 a piece.
I believe that Target increased in value because of the Christmas Season. Many customers buy things from Target because it has a variety of gifts.
Over all I believe my portfolio did very well. I enjoyed watching my stocks increase and decrease in value. It was a great experience and I'd do it again.

L.H. Patches Fiesta

MACYS - gain of $4.64

VZW- loss of $30.60

UNDER ARMOUR -loss of $242.44

APPLE - gain of $202.00

DISNEY -gain of $1.86
_______________________________________
Total profit; $208.50

Total loss; $273.04

I think overall, I picked my stocks quite poorly. The biggest upset was my loss of $242.44 in Under Armour stock. If I were to do this again, I think I would have either not bought stock in that at all, or sold it earlier when it was still doing fairly well. I was quite excited about my profit of $202.00 in Apple stock. I had known it would do this well, I would have bought more shares. I believe the reason Apple did so well over the holidays is because they sold so many Mac computers and Ipods. It surprised me that Verizon didn't to better, considering so many people get phones for Christmas.

C.J. M.

AAPL- I bought apple stock for about $192 and sold it for about $210. I bought this stock because my family only uses apple products and I know the I-touch is awesome and everyone wants one so I figured that it would be good to invest in.

MSFT- I bought Microsoft stock because I know Microsoft is very successful and it wasn't very expensive so I decided to buy it. It only was up about a dollar, but apple owns the itouch so they had more sales than Microsoft who doesn't have something like an itouch to sell.

TM- I bought Toyota only because Mrs. Muraski said that she invested in it and said it was doing well. It only went up about a dollar though.[editor's note: Mrs. M actually bought Ford, not Toyota. It did only go up a dollar, but CJ was right in thinking it was a good LONG term investment!]

GME- I bought GameStop stock because I like to play video games. It only went up about a dollar even though it was Christmas. I'm really surprised because COD came out a few weeks before that and I thought it would go up a lot.

GOOG- I bought Google because seriously, who doesn't use Google???? C'mon, it's the default web browser on practically all computers unless you change it. This went up about $10.00 which was about the same as apple. I think it went up because it was Christmas and everyone wants their advertisement to be seen on Google.

All in all, I think this was a good portfolio with my lowest profit being $38.25 (Google) and my highest profit being $185.30 (apple). My total profits were $468.31 and I'm really wishing I had $10,000 and I could invest that in the stocks I did invest in. This was a great portfolio.

Sarah M.

On December 16, 2009 I was given 2,000 per each stock and I was told to buy as many shares as possible with that money. My overall profit in the end was pretty decent. I earned $281.26 after investing in five stocks. Every single stock besides Ford I earned money, but I lost only around $1.57 in Ford. I think that all the rest of my stocks went up because of the Christmas season.

Michal S.

The five portfolios I watch were Microsoft, Yahoo, XTO, Ford, and Aflac. I bought Microsoft for $29.61 per share (bought 67 shares). After a month Microsoft went up to $31.05 per share. I made $96.48 in Microsoft. I bought Yahoo for $15.95 per share (bought 125 shares). After a month Yahoo went up to $17.22 per share. I made $158.75 in Yahoo. I bought the XTO stock for $33.00 per share (bought 60 shares). After a month the Yahoo stock went up to $48.16 per share. I made $909.60 in XTO. I bought Ford for $2.04 per share (bought 980 shares). After a month the stock was the same and I made or lost nothing. I bought Aflac for $46.40 per share (bought 43 stocks). After a month Aflac went up to $49.77 per share. I made $144.91 in Aflac. XTO was my best stock because it just sold it's company. My Total profit was $1,309.74.

K.O. Portfolio

During economics, I invested in these stocks; Yahoo, At&t, ING, GE, and Bank of America. Out of these, they did pretty well. The only stock that lost money was GE. I paid $15.87 and bought 126 stocks. I lost $52.92. I bought stocks in ING stock for $9.95 and bought 201 stocks. I gained $140.70. I purchased stocks in Yahoo for $15.94 per stock and bought 125 stocks. I gained $153.75 over the course of my investment. I bought stocks in Bank of America at $15.33 per stock and bought 130 stocks. I made $137.80. Over the course of my investment, I made $457.07 and lost $52.92.
Over all, I thought my portfolio went well. I made a good amount of money and I didn't loose to big of a sum either. I think my best day for stocks was the 30th of December because I gained the most profit. I think my investment in these stocks was economically smart.

Mike Se..

Profit

Apple $183.50
Google $32.37
Sony $91
Adidas $90.63
Microsoft $77.05

Total Profit
$474.55


I think these stocks were okay choices. Apple was a pretty good stock to choose. I made $183.50 from Apple which was more than any of the others. Google wasn't all that great of a choice because there stock price was so high to begin with that I couldn't afford many of them. Sony was ok but not as high as I had hoped. Their stock was relatively cheap to begin with so I was able to buy a lot and even though the stock didn't go up all that much I still made some money. Adidas was about that same as Sony, except that Adidas cost a little more to start with so I wasn't able to buy as many shares. Adidas's price went up though so it was about the same profit after all said and done. Microsoft was a little low compared to the others.

Stock Project Posts

Students in the inaugural economics class examined the stock market and investing after a great visit from financial manager and CEO Vern Sumnicht of Sumnicht & Associates of Appleton. Mr. Sumnicht talked about starting your investment and financial portfolios early, as soon as you start earning money, to prepare for the future. Our students got a taste of this in a simulated portfolio project. They each "invested" $10,000 in five stocks, and monitored them over one month. What follows are their summaries of each of their portfolios, with a reflection on what they would do differently if investing with real money!