Buying Irish in hope of win
Brenda Shanahan, of 'The Apprentice'
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This year was terrible for most; but for me, the first Irish Apprentice, it was quite a lucky year. It started off well, with The Apprentice win tucked safely under my belt, and then I finished the year on a high with the auspicious win of this fiercely fought contest.
Most self-respecting fund managers would have to claim that only somebody with a turbo-charged crystal ball could have foreseen the ups and downs on the markets. This has been a year like no other, when even the most educated and informed economists got it wrong.
A downturn in property had been predicted, some feared for the safety of the banks, but nobody had predicted the floods and the fact that all of the above would happen simultaneously.
With this in mind, I enter this year's competition with great trepidation.
AIB
My first punt is going to be on AIB. Another turbulent year in the banking sector would make the safe punters quake in their boots. Nama has not been the Messiah, but it has shown investors from beyond our shores that we are handling the situation.
PADDY POWER
My second punt has to be Paddy Power. Last year I backed these past the winning post. I still believe in the adage that "you never see a bookie on a bike". Last year I bought the shares at €12 and as I am writing they are €22.
C&C
Another winner for me last year was C&C group. Considering the summer we had, I was suitably impressed with their growth.
RYANAIR
Ryanair is worth a mention; it pulled out of the order for Boeing planes and promised to distribute the cash to shareholders. Let's hope they get it there on time.
ARYZTA
Aryzta AG cannot be overlooked. It seems to be doing some serious moving and shaking with some astute acquisitions in the past number of months.
KERRY GROUP
For no other reason than you can never back against Kerry, I will invest some of my faith in Kerry Group again this year.
My success has been to back Irish all the way. With this in mind, I will donate my winnings from last year to the Irish Kidney Association.
Originally published in
