Alex, let's discuss the prospects.
On the plus side, I notice that short interest continues to grow. 7.5mm shares at 2/13, up from 6.8mm and 7 times avg volume (I forget what the float is). Not bad support.
The big question - how is this quarter going? They used to put out a lot of press releases giving new account figures and other "business drivers" every month. As I haven't seen anything since the quarter end figures, I have to wonder whether things have continued to slow. If you exclude OptionLink (or whatever it was called) accounts, December account growth looked weak. Also, the average trades per account had dropped sharply in November (don't have a figure for December).
While I haven't been totally pleased with the service from E*Trade, I'm willing to consider that others have been. The big short interest makes me a little more comfortable considering a long position, but the latest "business driver" info from the company (and the lack of January info) causes some concern. Have I missed some news since the quarterly report?
BTW, I am also concerned about the state of the general market and stock brokers, even cutting edge online ones, can't be expected to hold up well in a serious correction or a bear market. Short interest can provide some support, but panic would easily win out in the event of a break.
Regards,
Bob
PS: I'm still wondering what ever happened to that special meeting they called. I'm sure there are many possible explanations, but not hearing one bugs me. |
