A stock newsletter’s libel suit was dismissed.

A federal judge in New Jersey dismissed a libel claim filed by Yale Hirsch, publisher of Smart Money, an investment newsletter, against Mark Hulbert, whose Hulbert Financial Digest ranks the performances of more than 40 investment advisory newsletters. The judge said Hirsch was a public figure because he has advertised his service in newspapers and thus could not sue over Hulbert’s published opinions. Hulbert had said Smart Money’s stock picks turned in one of the worst performances of 1983 among letters he rated. Hirsch said he will appeal the judge’s ruling.