Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : Rande Is . . . HOME -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Rande Is who wrote (10304)	8/3/1999 9:15:00 AM
From: Bucky Katt	Respond to of 57584

I also posted how "daytrading" had become a zero sum game, months ago, and as usual, not many paid any attention. All that great hi-tech equipment, and these guys still lose truckloads of money, and now it is becoming obvious. Things are in a flux, there will be winners and losers. I plan to be on the green side. BTW, I did tell the thread about rising rates, shrink in the M-2, etc., months ago, when it wasn't obvious, just like I said buy crude futures long when they were 10.50 a barrel. The next thing to hit the markets may well be the Chinese devaluation, which I have mentioned for months now. I am ready for it, if & when. If it does not happen, so I lose a little premium on some leaps. We should call our team, "eyes wide open"

To: Rande Is who wrote (10304)	8/3/1999 9:15:00 AM
From: Rande Is	Respond to of 57584

Shuffle of Top Chinese Officials Undercuts Zhu Rongji STRATFOR.COM Global Intelligence Update August 3, 1999 Summary: A major reshuffling of China's top banking officials is reportedly in the works. Key allies in Prime Minister Zhu Rongji's economic reform effort will reportedly lose out, apparently at the hand of President Jiang Zemin. Zhu has failed to pull China out of its economic slump, and his remaining strategies threaten only to increase unemployment and social unrest. Jiang has apparently had enough, and is moving to take control of Zhu's tools of reform. The question is, if he no longer has the means to implement his economic policies, what purpose does Zhu serve? Analysis: The Hong Kong Economic Times reported August 2 that a major reshuffling of China's senior banking officials is in the works, and will be discussed at the upcoming Beidaihe retreat of China's top leaders. The key move involves People's Bank of China (PBC) Governor Dai Xianglong, who will reportedly be appointed Shanghai Communist Party chief. Dai's former post will be filled by Zhou Xiaochuan, who currently heads the China Construction Bank. Wu Xiaoling, currently head of the PBC's Shanghai operations, will reportedly assume the role of PBC Deputy Governor. That post was recently vacated by Liu Mingkang, who replaced the head of the China Everbright state-run investment company, Zhu Xiaohhua, who in turn was reportedly under investigation for "economic abnormalities." Shanghai's former party chief, Huang Ju, will reportedly be called to Beijing to fill an as yet unreported post. When questioned by Agence France-Presse about the reported shuffle, a PBC spokesman said simply, "We cannot confirm this kind of information." The shuffling of China's top banking officials would be a matter of interest at any time, but it is of particular note as China continues to wallow in the economic doldrums following the broad Asian economic collapse. Foreign investment in China is slowing, and attempts to boost the economy through consumer spending and domestic investment have faltered. The finance ministry has even floated the idea of implementing a tax on interest from bank savings, in hopes of boosting spending, though it would likely just increase the hoarding of savings outside the banking system. Zhu Rongji is running out of ideas, as his plans for further reform call for more of the same -- more streamlining, more unemployment, and therefore more social unrest. Meanwhile, analysts are again talking about a possible devaluation of the yuan. In this context, the banking shuffle suggests Zhu's days may be numbered. PBC Governor Dai Xianglong was a key ally of Zhu, critical to carrying out his fiscal reforms. Talk of shifting him to Shanghai's Party offices, an unmistakable demotion for a top economic official, has been in the wind since April, when the South China Morning Post reported that Zhu was balking at the shift. Huang Ju, in turn, is a crony of President Jiang Zemin, and Zhu has reportedly also firmly opposed his transfer to Beijing. According to the South China Morning Post, Huang and Guangdong party secretary Li Changchun are in line for unknown but certainly high ranking posts in Beijing. Zhou Xiaochuan, slated to replace Dai as head of the PBC, is reportedly less a reformer than his predecessor. Moreover, his loyalties will most certainly rest with the one who puts him in his post -- by all indications, President Jiang. Zhou's China Construction Bank has been central to China's bootstrapping national infrastructure projects, a model familiar to the old school economists in Beijing. Wu Xiaoling's Shanghai branch of the PBC manages China's Rural Credit Cooperatives, distributing credit to regions outside the impact of foreign investment dollars. Jiang, concerned with Zhu's flagging reforms, appears to be consolidating his grip on the tools of that reform. As this further undermines Zhu's ability to carry out his economic strategies, one can only assume that Zhu's days are numbered as well. The finance official reshuffling will reportedly be discussed at the upcoming Beidaihe retreat of China's top leaders. There, Zhu ally Dai may be sent to refresh his ideology in Shanghai. The question is, will Zhu be sent to join him? __________________________________________________ SUBSCRIBE to FREE, DAILY GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE UPDATES (GIU) stratfor.com

To: Rande Is who wrote (10304)	8/3/1999 9:18:00 AM
From: Rande Is	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 57584

Excite@Home May be Back On the Market--and Yahoo! is Looking NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 2, 1999--Little more than two months after the $6.7 billion Excite@Home (ATHM) merger was completed, Excite@Home may be back on the market, reports Business Week Online (www.businessweek.com/today.htm). Only this time, uberportal Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) could be the acquirer. According to sources close to the companies, Excite@Home and Yahoo have held talks over the last six weeks about a possible deal in which Yahoo would buy Excite@Home for some amount greater than its current market value of $17 billion. Yahoo would not only gain devotees of the No. 6 portal but it would also get a much-needed broadband play. Sources add, however, that Yahoo doesn't want to operate an infrastructure company like @Home, which provides high-speed Internet access over cable lines. And AT&T Corp. (T), the controlling shareholder in Excite@Home, wants to retain influence over the @Home business. So exactly what would happen with @Home is still up in the air. One scenario, according to sources, is for Yahoo to absorb Excite and spin out @Home into an independent company in which Yahoo and AT&T would have sizable stakes. That would provide AT&T with the control it wants and it would give Yahoo a prime position as the Net goes broadband. Another scenario, according to one source, would see AT&T take the @Home business and combine it with its WorldNet Internet access business. Sources close to all three companies describe the recent talks as preliminary and caution that much work is yet to be done before a deal could come together. Note: The entire text of this story is available now on Business Week Online at www.businessweek.com/today.htm or America Online (Keyword: BW). CONTACT: Christine Summerson, 212/512-2882 or Robert Pondiscio, 212/512-6311

To: Rande Is who wrote (10304)	8/3/1999 9:23:00 AM
From: Rande Is	Respond to of 57584

Yahoo! Welcomes OnHealth.com as a Premier Merchant SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 3, 1999--Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO), a leading global Internet media company, and OnHealth Network Company (Nasdaq: ONHN), a leading Internet information and services resource for consumers that provides multiple perspectives and an independent viewpoint on all aspects of health and well-being, today announced a premier merchant agreement which gives OnHealth fixed placement modules in the Yahoo! Health "alternative medicine" category and Yahoo! Get Local Health. Yahoo! visitors will gain direct access to OnHealth.com's online store sections offering alternative health-related merchandise: Vitamins and Herbs, Holistic Woman, Foods, and Healthy Home. Consumers will be able to use OnHealth TimeSavers featuring alternative medicine topics and products from selected merchants like Vitamin Shoppe and SelfCare. As a premier merchant on Yahoo!, OnHealth will be featured throughout Yahoo! Health (health.yahoo.com), including exposure on health-related research capabilities, physician locator, and nutrition and fitness categories. "We're pleased to have teamed with Yahoo! to supply their millions of users access to a wide selection of OnHealth's health information and products," said Robert Goodman, president and CEO of OnHealth Network Company. "The offerings provided by OnHealth help build the Yahoo! Health site's alternative health area, by giving users expanded health information and the ability to purchase the alternative health-related products on the OnHealth site instantly." OnHealth and Yahoo! are working together to leverage Yahoo!'s recently introduced Fusion Marketing Online(TM) (FMO) program. The FMO approach to online marketing provides one-stop shopping for companies seeking to secure a measurable presence on the Internet. The OnHealth premier merchant agreement with Yahoo! is designed to help provide Yahoo!'s significant audience with access to OnHealth's array of services and products. Yahoo! reaches more than 80 million unique users each month worldwide, as of June 1999. "This premier merchant agreement is a result of Yahoo! and OnHealth's commitment to providing quality service, content and convenience for our users," said Anil Singh, senior vice president of sales, Yahoo!. "The relationship gives Yahoo! users access to OnHealth.com's online alternative health-related merchandise and relevant health information on important medical topics." About Yahoo! Yahoo! Inc. is a global Internet media company that offers a branded network of comprehensive information, communication and shopping services to 80 million users worldwide. As the first online navigational guide to the Web, www.yahoo.com is the leading guide in terms of traffic, advertising, household and business user reach, and is one of the most recognized brands associated with the Internet. The company's global Web network includes 19 World properties. Yahoo! has offices in Europe, the Asia Pacific, South America, Canada, and the United States, and is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. About OnHealth Network Company Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, OnHealth Network Company (Nasdaq: ONHN) is a leading Internet information and services resource for consumers that provides multiple perspectives and an independent viewpoint on health, wellness and well-being. OnHealth.com was recently ranked as the most highly trafficked independent health content site on the Web. According to the June 1999 Media Metrix report, onhealth.com attracted 892,000 unique visitors in June, a 118% increase from March 1999. OnHealth Network's advertisers include Glaxo Wellcome, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble and SmithKline Beecham. The consumer-driven Web site has also attracted non-endemic advertisers such as Deja News, Dr. Scholl's, Ford, Jamieson Vitamins, Kellogg's, MSN Portal Phase and Women.com. More than 950 Web sites drive traffic to onhealth.com through its numerous distribution and content sharing relationships including: AOL's Digital City, Inc., Better Homes and Gardens, Snap.com, Weather.com, WebTV and Yahoo!. OnHealth complies with the Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode), an international initiative established to help unify and standardize the reliability of medical and health information available on the World Wide Web. Yahoo!, Fusion Marketing Online, FMO, and the Yahoo! logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners. CONTACT: Yahoo! Sarah Ross, 408/530-5172 sross@yahoo-inc.com or Niehaus Ryan Wong Nicki Dugan, 650/827-7062

To: Rande Is who wrote (10304)	8/3/1999 9:31:00 AM
From: Rande Is	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 57584

LQID received at least one upgrade today. . with target of 40 bucks. . . quiet period over. Couldn't find the name of the firm[s] that upgraded. Here is more LQID news for today: LIQUID AUDIO EXPANDS MANAGEMENT TEAM WITH ADDITION OF THREE NEW VICE PRESIDENTS biz.yahoo.com

To: Rande Is who wrote (10304)	8/3/1999 7:49:00 PM
From: DlphcOracl	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 57584

Rande Is: When to pull the trigger? (No, I am NOT talking about that Atlanta day-trader!!) As per your warning, I raised substantial cash by mid-July. However, several of the stocks on my radar screen for establishing long-term positions are already starting to look as if they are compelling buys (and we're only at Aug.3rd). Specifically: STOCK 52-wk high Aug.3 close CKFR 69 1/8 26 3/8 COVD 81 42 1/4 MFNX 47 9/16 28 1/8 RMBS 117 1/2 83 3/4 TERN 60 1/2 35 3/8 And, of course, the internet stocks are 50-70% off their 52-wk. highs, even the blue-chips such as AOL, GNET, etc. My question: do you start to establish positions in some of these stocks or do you continue to wait out the month? It is difficult to believe that buying Metromedia Fiber (MFNX) at this level isn't a steal; but, patience and holding cash are not my strong suits. Any comments or thoughts by thread readers (in general, and on these specific stocks) would be welcome.