Bobo's Hot ETF Picks for 2008
By Jim Wiandt | December 31, 2007

Taking over my column for today is Bobo the dart-throwing monkey, the real genius behind the scenes here. His record, of course, speaks for itself.

There are still, amazingly, people out there among you who smirk at Bobo. How could a monkey (sometimes drunk) throwing darts at a board of ETF tickers possibly outperform the market and other active managers? You are saying this with the next Bill Miller staring you in the face.

Indeed, Bobo has crushed Bill Miller over the past couple of years, and today you're going to get the full benefit of his market wisdom with his hot 10 ETF picks for 2008 ... the new components of the Bobodex 10, which rebalances annually with one fistful of 10 new darts. he Bobodex 10 has been reported in the most reputable ETF publication on the planet as being "in development" as an ETF. We cannot comment on that, for obvious reasons.

But let's address your skepticism. "How does he do it?" you ask. "Isn't a monkey throwing darts just the equivalent of random picks?" Au contraire. I don't know how it is exactly that he does what he does, but it's pure wizardry. I see him throw those darts myself. And to best characterize it...it feels sort of like Luke Skywalker when he's blindfolded and fights that laser-shooting globe. Bobo, in short, feels the force when he throws his darts.

To any serious student of the financial markets, it is obvious that these are not random picks, these selections represent sophisticated market views coupled with uncanny intuition. There's no other way to explain the numbers. And this year, my life savings wagers, will be no different. OK, bring out the monkey.

Oooooooohhhh ooo Aaaaah eeeee OWWWWWWWW! (Bobo's as excited as we are this morning as he spots the darts). Bobo - over THERE. No no, don't throw them at ME! The big board with the tickers and banana pictures...

OK, now it's time to throw those darts. We'll follow that by going through some thoughts with Bobo (as best as we're able to interpret them). We're not always sure of the wonders going through his mind, but we see the passion, the thoughtfulness, the enthusiasm. OK Bobo - FIRST THROW:

Whoa BOBO. All 10 at once?! That is the kind of fast forward zen that just is not human. WOW. That is GENIUS. You've done it again, Bobo you really have. So why don't you tell the readers what you're thinking in making these picks.

Eeee ee ah oooo OOOOO. Aaaak Aaak ah OOO!!!!!

Let me paraphrase. Bobo feels like the Emerging Markets sector is moving dangerously toward bubble levels, but that the valuations still have room to run before there is a pop. He also thinks South Korea has some run in it relative to China.

Bobo is also still bullish on commodities, and he thinks that the trends toward strength in growth and toward the mid to large cap spectrum will hold.

In short, Bobo has put together a very momentum-based portfolio, and a daringly bold one at that. Vision doesn't need fortitude. It just knows.

Eee ah aaak oooo OOO oo. Aaa Aaa Aaa Ahhhh.

Funny ... Bobo is favoring innovative product issuers because many of their funds have the sort of wild volatility that opens up the rocket-like returns Bobo's portfolios are famous for. He says he also likes the stability and, well, bigness of the World portfolio, likes the MarketGrader fund because he's a big Barron's fan, and is making a gesture toward his native lands with the Claymore green fund.

In short: it's bold, it's exciting, and as we all know, Bobo is genius at its purest. Happy 2008, everyone; I hear those brokerage lines burning up already.