He said T. Rowe Price, which went public in 1986, has been the second-best long-term performer of all 1986 offerings, after Microsoft.

For 1987, the second-best performer among global funds is the bond portfolio of the Massachusetts Financial International Trust, with a return of 20.18 percent.

The second-best performer was the Sherman, Dean Fund, a highly unusual and small fund based in San Antonio.

Philip Morris, the second-best performer in the Dow Jones industrial average last year, after Procter & Gamble, rose 7/8, to 51 3/4.

Cat is the second-best performer of the Dow Jones industrials so far this year, and is pretty fully valued.

Another attraction of the United States is its bond market, which the bank expects to be the second-best performer of the 10 bond markets it follows.

France, the second-best performer of the leading markets, was up 14.81 percent in dollars at year-end, compared with a rise of 5.3 percent on Dec. 13.

The company reported that it had been the ASX200's fourth-best performer in 2004, and second-best performer over the preceding two years.

The second-best performers among stock funds, behind technology, were those invested in communications - up 40.03 percent in the quarter and 81.37 percent in the year.

Its stock has been the second-best performer among the Standard & Poor's 500 companies during the 1990's, trailing only Dell Computer.