US Edition It was little more than two months since the banking system had been teetering on the brink of collapse, the credit crisis was in full flight and cash was deemed to be the best show in town.
Share selection at that time was made even more difficult by the fact that the traditional Christmas rally in stock markets had once again reared its head - and the FTSE-100 appeared quite toppy.
The blue-chip index hit a hit a peak of 4638.92 on January 6 - one day after the tips of the year were issued - before falling 24pc in the next two months, hitting 3512 on March 3.
Against this backdrop, Questor decided that the best strategy was to choose six shares that would offer a balanced portfolio in uncertain times. Two shares were chosen for their safety characteristics as a way of safeguarding capital.
One share was selected because it showed good growth potential - whatever the market backdrop. One share was picked because it appeared to have a safe dividend, with one share nominated as a play on re-leveraging of the global economy if conditions improved. Finally, one was selected for its diversification, with the hope that weakness in one of its markets would be supported by strength in another.
So far, the strategy has been successful and the portfolio as whole is showing gains of 30pc.
SAFETY
BG Group
1017p -24p
Questor says BUY
BG Group shares are up just 2pc, but the company has served its purpose as a safe home for your cash.
The gas group has great long-term prospects and the shares remains a core energy holding.
It's not all been plain sailing for the company. In July, the group posted interim results that were ahead of expectations, but the group said that it would not meet its production target until later than expected.
This caused some disappointment, but the main cause of this was a slump in demand due to the recession.
The long-term prospects for the group are stunning. Just 18 months ago the company was not in Australia, but following some good purchases it will soon be a major player in Australian liquefied natural gas (LNG). Earlier this month, PetroChina signed a 20-year supply agreement with ExxonMobil for 2.25m tonnes of LNG a year. BG Group expects to ramp up Australian production by 2014, by which time demand should be buoyant once again.
BG made a strategic purchase in US shale gas and the company is a perennially the subject of bid talk. BG Group still offers a safe home for you money with great long-term prospects.
DIVERSIFICATION
Bunzl
587.5 No change
Questor says BUY
Bunzl sources and distributes a range of products for the cleaning, catering, retail and food processing industries in 23 countries worldwide. About 75pc of its business can be classed as relatively resilient.
Its major customers include companies such as Wal-Mart, Domino's Pizza, Del Monte, Bupa and the NHS.
The shares are down 3pc and represent the worst performance of the six shares chosen for the 2009 portfolio.
The company has a very simple business model. It sources and supplies all the items that a business consumes e_SEnD and it does so cheaper than its customers could themselves.
Margins in the second half are expected to improve, as the group's cost-cutting measures kick in and the shares are leveraged to any uptick in economic activity.
The group is extremely cash generative and this helped reduce net debt by more than market expectations at the interim stage.
The shares are yielding a secure 3.6pc and the stance remains buy.
GROWTH
Centamin Egypt
85.5p +1p
Questor says HOLD
Centamin is a success story - the shares are up 101pc. The company has started production at its gold mine at Sukari in Egypt and it is in the process of ramping up to full production.
In May, the company said it had a cash balance of $70m (£43m) and the group is entirely debt free.
Centamin will receive 100pc of the cashflows from the mine until all of its costs have been repaid. The stance is now hold.
DIVIDEND
Primary Health Properties
320p +5.5p
Questor says BUY
PHP operates doctors' surgeries and pharmacies, with more than 90pc of its revenues coming from the NHS, which is why Questor believed its payout was safe.
This proved to be the case. At the interim stage, PHP upped its dividend to 8.5p from 8.25p. The shares are up 6pc and yielding 5.4pc. The stance remains buy.
SAFETY
Rolls-Royce
452.7p +0.8p
Questor says BUY
This manufacturer of turbine engines and propulsion systems is the UK's largest exporter. It was recommended because of the strength of revenues it generates on long-term aftercare for its installed engines.
The shares underperformed in the early part of the year, as investors fretted about problems in the airline industry. This is one company that the market got very wrong e_SEnD as it proved with its interim numbers. The shares are now up 31pc.
Rolls-Royce's order book increased substantially in the first half of the year. It rose by £2bn to a record £57.5bn.
The group also had net cash in excess of £1bn at the interim stage, so its balance sheet remains robust.
The company also confirmed that it expected to meet its forecast for revenue to grow and profits to be unchanged in 2009 and increased its dividend by 5pc to 6p a share. The stance on the shares remains buy.
RE-LEVERAGING
Templeton Emerging Markets Investment Trust
413p +3p
Questor says HOLD
When global markets unwound, emerging markets were hit the hardest. However, emerging markets are the places which have the fundamentals to secure long-term growth.
Questor argued that this meant that during any recovery, emerging markets were likely to bounce back harder and faster than their Western counterparts. This has proved to be the case.
This fund is one of the oldest emerging market funds in the world. It is up 45pc since its recommendation compared with 7.6pc for the FTSE-100.
Questor has a hold stance on the shares after such a strong run. Taking a long-term view, the shares are a buy but, if global markets wobble over the next month, emerging markets will be hit the hardest. Questor is waiting to see if a pullback occurs.