From the department of small victories comes the news that for the third week in a row Portfolio A1 has taken a small bite out of the gaping performance hole between the portfolio and the benchmark S&P 500. That performance gap, which peaked at 17.5% three weeks ago, has now been sliced to 9.9%.

The Mosaic Company (MOS), a fertilizer producer, has been leading the charge back to respectability, with a 19.3% gain in three weeks. New addition DryShips (DRYS) was up 7.8% in its first week in the portfolio.

Two companies have been dropped from the list of holdings: CNH Global (CNH), despite a 10% return during its holding period; and Western Refining (WNR), which departs with a 7.3% aggregate loss. These companies are replaced by two higher ranking stocks: Sanderson Farms (SFM), a poultry producer; and Navistar International (NAVZ), a returnee to the portfolio after a one month hiatus. Navistar has been in the news lately for its diesel-hybrid technology as well as its armored vehicles.

There are no other changes to the portfolio this week.

A snapshot of the portfolio is as follows: