Which MA Stocks Had a Good 2008?

The answer may surprise you... it was biotech companies like Vertex, Cubist, Momenta, and Idenix (up 138 percent this year, despite being unprofitable).

Small local banks, in places like Springfield and Western Mass., also did OK.

The Globe's Steve Syre writes:

There are just 17 Massachusetts stocks that have gained ground this year. That's 17 out of 234 stocks, which means about 93 percent have lost value in 2008. Another perspective: Eleven Massachusetts stocks have lost more than 90 percent of their value in 2008.