(MONEY Magazine) – Back in January, our "Best Investments for 2002" featured eight stocks we thought could beat the market this year. So far, four of our stocks have done so. But it's been a tough eight months, with all of our picks posting red ink. The overall portfolio is down an average of 21.8% since Nov. 29 (the date we went to press with the stocks), slightly better than Standard & Poor's 500-stock index's drop of 25.6%. In fact, the market has been so punishing, average losses for our portfolio more than doubled the week of July 15. --ADRIENNE CARTER

EARNINGS RETURN COMPANY (TICKER) PRICE P/E[1] DIVIDEND GROWTH[2] SINCE NOV. 29 COMMENTS

ACCENTURE (ACN) $14.85 16.0 None 15% -30.7% Information technology spending remains depressed.

ALCOA (AA) 27.00 20.3 2.2% 15 -28.9 Beat up by low prices, earnings may jump 66% in 2003.

CENDANT (CD) 13.24 9.1 None 13 -20.2 Accounting jitters continue to plague this conglomerate.

CHEVRONTEXACO (CVX) 74.50 15.1 3.8 9 -12.8 Turmoil in the Middle East made energy plays choppy.

FOOT LOCKER (Z) 11.55 10.1 None 18 -28.5 Despite a couple of weak quarters, it dominates its niche.

J.P. MORGAN CHASE (JPM) 26.10 10.5 5.2 11 -31.4 Enron and the crackdown on analysts have hit this stock hard.

PROCTER & GAMBLE (PG) 74.46 19.8 2.2 10 -3.1 Holding its own in the storm, and still a bargain.

VIACOM (VIAB) 34.85 29.8 None 17 -18.7 Media stocks took a beating, including this sector leader.

S&P 500 847.76 17.1 2.0 7 -25.6

Notes: Data as of July 19. [1]Based on estimated calendar year 2002 earnings. [2]Analysts' five-year annualized projection. Source: Baseline.