Zacks $100K Challenge 2007 Top Player Interview features Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., Echelon Corporation, Grupo Simec S.A.B. de C.V., Uranerz Energy Corp. and USEC Inc

Business Wire, June 20, 2007

CHICAGO -- Zacks.com introduces its $100K Challenge 2007 top player interviews, which feature insights from the leaders of the Zacks Simulator game. This year the Simulator's $100K Challenge allows investors to prove their stock picking abilities by competing directly against other players for a possible $100,000 contract with Zacks.

George Zou (aka: Jeo) is a contrarian. He considers himself to be a critical market watcher, who looks to the Wall Street analyst community for cues and bull/bear signals. This Simulator player checks if the trend is currently up or down, what the short interest may be, what the analysts are saying and whether or not a stock is from a strong or weak performing sector.

This challenger's portfolio currently holds companies like Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. (NYSE:CTB), Echelon Corporation (Nasdaq:ELON), Grupo Simec S.A.B. de C.V. (AMEX:SIM), Uranerz Energy Corp. (AMEX:URZ) and USEC Inc. (NYSE:USU) to name a few. Click here for the full story exclusively on Zacks.com: http://at.zacks.com/?id=2518.

Highlights from the June 13 interview include:

How does he do it?

George illustrated how his contrarian strategy often includes analyst coverage by stating that his decision to invest is based on pessimism from Wall Street. "My decision to get into a stock is mostly based on a decent amount of lingering pessimism for a strong performer," the successful investor commented. "For example, CTB has been a strong performer, gaining 108% in one year, yet the street is stubbornly negative on it. Short interest is still at whopping 10.2%. Of all six analysts who follow it, only one awarded it a buy, four gave it a hold and one sell. The continued strong performance will force these bears to change their mind, thus pushing the price higher."

This type of investing has resulted in George picking companies such as Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. (NYSE:CTB), Echelon Corporation (Nasdaq:ELON), Grupo Simec S.A.B. de C.V. (AMEX:SIM), Uranerz Energy Corp. (AMEX:URZ) and USEC Inc. (NYSE:USU) Click here to check out this competitor's complete portfolio: http://at.zacks.com/?id=3314.

Where will the market be at year-end?

Being a contrarian for this stock picker translates into being a bull. He noted, "The market will continue to surprise suspicious bears. I see the Dow at 1480 by year-end."

Any words of wisdom for the market novice?

This market enthusiast explained that investing is more of an art than a science. "That's why everyone invests differently, and with style. However, the ultimate test is the return at the end of the game. One needs to study how the market works and why. Do not expect a windfall return overnight. Do your own due diligence. Respect the market and act accordingly," stated George. "In addition, avoid the first 15 minutes' temptation at the market open. Wait till everyone calms down before placing your orders."

Check out the complete interview and learn more about the Simulator at: http://at.zacks.com/?id=2518.

The $100K Challenge is On! Do You Have What it Takes?

Sign up now for the Zacks $100K Challenge. It's free. It's fun. It's the place to show your investing prowess. The best stock picker will be rewarded with a $100,000 contract with Zacks. Learn more at http://at.zacks.com/?id=2520.

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at http://at.zacks.com/?id=2521.

Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.

Zacks Rank performance is the total return (price changes dividends) of equal weighted portfolios, consisting of those stocks with the indicated Zacks Rank, assuming zero transaction costs. These returns are not the result of a backtest; these are actual returns since 1988. The stocks in the Zacks Rank portfolios were available to Zacks clients before the beginning of each month (monthly rebalancing). Performance results from 1988 through September 2006 are based on a subset of all Zacks Rank stocks that excludes stocks covered by only one analyst and ADR's.

The S&P 500 Index is a well-known, unmanaged index of the prices of 500 large-company common stocks, mainly blue-chip stocks, selected by Standard & Poor's. The S&P 500 Index assumes reinvestment of dividends but does not reflect advisory fees. An investor cannot invest directly in an index.