Mary, That alternatives to investing in tech fluff are legion, and is part of what this thread is about. There is nothing wrong in buying good tech cos. I have owned more than most over the decades. But you have to buy them when they are decent values, not when they are ripoffs.
Not everybody lost market share. After all, somewhere between 57-61% of the pc market is small cos or clomp em together shops.
I agree that one month, or, in this case, one quarter calls the trend forever. But, since it is the first time Dell has lost market share since 1991, and Dell was at new highs, I considered it significant. IBM has been losing market share forever and their eps, if reported honestly, have been going down forever. Compaq had been gaining market share and their decline last quarter is surprising given the channel stuffing, the gargantuan increase in receivables, the entirely new direct distribution system, in their words, "a huge success," and the fact that they dominate sub-$1000 boxes and pc servers, the only areas to show growth.
AMD is so incompetent that they own the retail sector right now. Don't worry about them not making money. If they put a dot.com after their name, losing money will be their biggest asset. <G>
BTW, other places to invest for long term growth: foreign markets that are not bloated, biotechs, energy, platinum and palladium, discounted closed end funds, commodities, put options on the fluff, foreign currencies, etc ad infinitum.
MB |
