Sometimes it pays big time to take a little risk

By Dian Vujovich

I’m thinking the title of this blog ought to be “Read ’em and weep” . That’s because if you’d been a player in one of the following 44  companies, by the end of  the first half of 2012 your investment would have paid off royally. By that I mean up as much as over 500 percent.

Below is a listing of the best 44 performing stocks in the Russell 3000 through the end of  June, according to data from the Bespoke Investment Group.

A quick overview revels  Threshold Pharmaceuticals (THLD) as the biggest winner, up 506.56 percent. That performance was followed by BioDelivery Sciences International (BDSI) and Arena Pharmaceuticals (ARNA). Both up well over 400 percent and at  456 percent and 433 percent respectively.

As for the Russell 3000 Index itself, the average stock in it was up 11.87 percent. That’s  a very respectable return particularly given the  stock market’s volatility. A market that some might conclude has been as nervous and jerky as a cat in a room full of rockers.