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Technology Stocks : How high will Microsoft fly? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bill Holtzman who wrote (26874)	7/20/1999 3:15:00 PM
From: johnd	Respond to of 74651

Bill, New accounting guidelines forced MSFT to defer less but had to recognize previous unearned. Net no increase. What is happening is that this makes the forward picture less bright. As I look at my portfolio, I worry about a serious market decline. Anyone can do market TA please give me some advice as to sell or sit tight.

To: Bill Holtzman who wrote (26874)	7/20/1999 11:09:00 PM
From: Sir Francis Drake	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74651

Bill, I don't like it, not because it matters in the short run, but because it prevents (or at least makes much more difficult) MSFT from controlling what they report down the road. They were "smoothing" - the numbers for a reason, and it was a good reason. As for the $.33 number, like all numbers I suppose it too can be massaged. I am not a corporate accountant, but just from observing ordinary businesses write off the weirdest things as R&D, expenses and what not, I wouldn't be surprised if MSFT accountants haven't found a way to so calculate the number, that even with the newly tough SEC reporting requirement, MSFT reports a number that is as usual "above estimates, but not insane". Morgan