Tough start to the six-week Shares Race

This is largely because the sharemarket finished the week slightly lower at 5435 points.

However, some stocks did defy the broader trend. Richard Hemming, author of the Under the Radar Report, picked one of them, Maca Limited, to take an early lead. His fictional $100,000 is now worth $101,349.

The mining, civil construction and road infrastructure company has exposure to the Western Australian economy and its profitability and share price fell as mining activity slowed.

However, the company has a strong balance sheet and is benefiting from the stronger prices for gold and iron ore. It has plenty of work with profits set to rise.

Its share price had shot up from about 70¢ to $1.90 over the course of this year with 20¢ of that coming in last week.

Sally Rose, in a new role as editor of Investment Magazine, is in second spot with $100,842.

Beacon Lighting, a specialist retailer of lighting, ceiling fans and light globes, is her strongest performer with her $10,000 stake worth $11,325.

Its share price has been recovering since May this year after shareholders turned the lights off after the retailer reported a sharp sales downturn, triggering a major sell-off of its shares.

Hina Chowdhary, of Kalkine, is in third place, but her portfolio is worth $99,925, showing how tough the market has been over the week.

The Shares Race is a fantasy shares game. Contestants start with $100,000 across 10 stocks.