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E*Trade Group Inc. (EGRP) 25 15/16: Badly battered online discount broker is looking for any edge it can get in order to enhance its stock price which has been in a downward spiral for the past several months. This morning, E*Trade announced that it had entered a corporate answering services agreement with Ask Jeeves (ASKJ 32 3/4) to provide online customer support. The arrangement with ASKJ will allow customers to ask questions about investments and financial services and be immediately pointed to relevant responses. The arrangement could give the stock a boost this morning, although EGRP and other online brokers have been trending downward for the past several weeks as the Fed has been pushing rates higher and investors have been questioning just how much more these brokers will need to spend in order to maintain their lofting account growth. To be sure, E*Trade has been quick to adapt its services to its customers' needs in order to keep customers happy. Just two weeks ago, the company launched of Power E*TRADE -- an exclusive program for online investors who place a minimum of 30 trades per quarter that will allow trading commissions to drop as low as $4.95 per trade. In addition, the company will offer after-hours trading through Instinet in order to keep up with the expansion of trading hours. However, with interest rates on the rise and with the company having to spend more to continue the expansion of its top line, the stock has come under pressure, losing close to two-thirds of its value since early April. While the stock was well overpriced when it traded as high as 72 1/4 earlier this year, it seems that shares of E*Trade are now cheap, although this assessment is relative to where the stock has been. While no profits are expected this year or next as the company continues to spend more in order to secure its online space, this stock is worth watching should the company continue to ramp up its top line by 40% or more. - RN |
