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Technology Stocks : COMS & the Ghost of USRX w/ other STUFF
COMS 0.00400+185.7%Dec 5 9:30 AM EST

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To: David Lawrence who wrote (17486)10/20/1998 1:20:00 PM
From: joe   of 22053
 


From JJC (today's issue):


Junk Market Troubles Hit Home



Wall Street hit Main Street with a vengeance last night on
the Ascend (ASND:Nasdaq) conference call. It seems that
the competitive local exchange carriers needed financing
to buy equipment, financing from Ascend.

Hmmm. For many as long as I can remember, the junk bond
market provided that financing. Now the suppliers have to
supply that financing. With that financing comes reserves
for potential slow payments, and a whole slew of questions
about the real gross margins on that business.

The illiquidity of the corporate junk bond market is
finally hitting home. I have been waiting for some sign
that Wall Street's meltdown had to impact corporate
infrastructure spending, but I didn't think I would hear
about it during Ascend's call.

You could tell it spooked people on the call, but I can't
say we should not have seen this coming. These companies
have been shut out from the capital markets for the time
being but they have to complete their build-outs. The best
way to do it is to pit one supplier against another and
see who blinks (meaning who ponies up the most financing,
or the best terms). From the looks of things, Ascend did
the ponying.

I suspect that until the junk market comes back, anybody
who relies on junk financing to buy capital goods will
have to curtail spending or find a supplier willing to
provide that financing.

All in all, it makes for a new wrinkle in the telco
equipment story. How much of it is in the stocks? That's
what we will find out this morning, when word gets out
that the Ascends of the world are now, reluctantly, in the
banking business.

EOM
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