ARTICLE SYNOPSIS ...P/E Ratio Reliability by Hugh Stokely and Ken Stewart Alert traders can do well in financial instruments, but short-term trading usually averages out close to a zero-sum game -- that is, a dollar won tends to come directly out of the pocket of a less alert trader or investor. Finding positive-sum games--those in which everyone wins -- can improve the odds. Historically, growth stocks have provided a ""positive sum"" -- a growing investment pie that rewards the winner of a trade extremely well but also allows the loser to build investment value over time. Even in quick-response trading, a case e...