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Non-Tech : E*Trade (NYSE:ET) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Spytrdr who wrote (9433)	11/16/1999 5:46:00 PM
From: thinkbach	Respond to of 13953

Anybody any thoughts on the SCH, TWE and AMTD team-up? Sounds to me like they're ganging up on our EGRP with their new investment bank scheme. Think they're scared? EGRP to double or better by next earnings is my prediction, long since Dec 1998

To: Spytrdr who wrote (9433)	11/16/1999 6:19:00 PM
From: Curtis E. Bemis	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13953

OK guys- Here is your Ameritrade story (and EGRP) cbs.marketwatch.com True Ameritrade please stand up Broker up on bank deal but analyst views mixed By Emily Church, CBS MarketWatch Last Update: 5:43 PM ET Nov 16, 1999 NewsWatch NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Ameritrade's stock rose 16 percent on Tuesday on renewed talk the online brokerage is an acquisition candidate, and amid a little help to the financial group from the Federal Reserve. The stock (AMTD: news, msgs) continues to post gains from Ameritrade's new alliance with Schwab (SCH: news, msgs) and TD Waterhouse (TWE: news, msgs) in the as-yet-unnamed Internet investment bank and on expectations for strong commission revenue from a banner November in the markets, said Greg Smith, analyst at Hambrecht & Quist. The Fed's switch Tuesday afternoon to a "neutral" bias on changing interest rates lifted the entire sector, and particularly the brokerage group ($XBD: news, msgs). See related story. Mixed views At the same time, however, Wall Street is giving investors a mixed picture on the company. CBIC World Markets analysts on Tuesday started coverage of the Omaha discounter with a "hold" recommendation, tipping the scales toward caution. Of the eleven analysts covering Ameritrade, six now have "holds" on the stock and five are recommending it as a "buy," according to First Call. CIBC said Ameritrade's deep discount model on the Web, at $8 a trade, had the "weakest prospects" for strong growth. The bank is looking at the sector to turn its focus from growing new accounts to maintaining "high quality", presumably asset-laden, accounts. "With almost all of the hyper active traders already on the Web, future customer growth at Ameritrade might be strong, but those new customers will trade at levels below the company's current high average," analyst Amar Mehta told clients. The New York bank also started E-Trade (EGRP: news, msgs) at a hold and TD Waterhouse (TWE: news, msgs) at a strong buy. Other analysts are bullish on Ameritrade. Scott Appleby at Robertson Stephens rates the stock as a buy and said on Monday that the bank "especially likes Ameritrade for valuation purposes." He's expecting 100 percent growth in online brokerage accounts over 1998, based on industry account growth far exceeding estimates for the December quarter, and coming in around 1 million new accounts. Meanwhile, analyst Richard Zandi of Salomon Smith Barney in a note to clients Tuesday, said the Internet investment bank announcement on Monday "appears to us to be a precursor to consolidation. "We view it as evidence of the belief, particularly by Schwab, that the advantages of scale are too compelling to risk losing by going at it alone. However, it may also be an indication that current valuations are prohibitively rich to afford outright acquisition," he said. Ameritrade ended up 4 5/16 to 30 3/4; E-Trade rose 1 1/16 or 2.8 percent to 39 3/16 and TD Waterhouse rose 1 3/8 or 7.2 percent to 20 3/8. Charles Schwab (SCH: news, msgs), the largest online broker, rose 1 3/8 or 3.1 percent to 46 1/8. Ameritrade officials late Tuesday declined to comment on the movement in the brokerage's stock.

To: Spytrdr who wrote (9433)	11/16/1999 11:06:00 PM
From: Spytrdr	Respond to of 13953

This Junkie Knows Best Satire November 15, 1999 OK, I admit it: I'm a total stock junkie. I wake up every weekday morning before 6:30 a.m. so I can turn on CNBC and watch the opening of the market. I subscribe to TheStreet.com, follow CBS MarketWatch, track my portfolio on Quote.com, keep an account at Schwab online and avidly read UpsideToday's "Dawn Patrol." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I've declared myself Upside's analyst and have initiated coverage of nine stocks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Over the past 20 years or so, I've had a few big wins and plenty of losses--this experience, combined with my career as a technology publishing executive (someone who actually knows the people and companies in this business) qualifies me as a real expert. I've learned the old-fashioned way! It amazes me how various bonehead analysts rank stocks, and how their bonehead rankings and their bonehead comments in research reports can influence stock prices. Dan Niles of BancBoston Robertson Stephens refers to Intel saying, "It is too early to forecast unit demand for the fourth quarter given the movement in the third quarter," and the damn stock drops 3 percent. In terms of market cap, this is a loss of $7 billion. That's not enough to give Bill Gates heartburn, but it makes my blood boil. I dare say I know a hell of a lot more about technology stocks than a whole dog pile of investment analysts. Therefore, I've declared myself Upside's analyst and have initiated coverage of nine stocks. Each one will be ranked, and I'll send out press releases as I change the ranking over time. My goal is to influence stocks, and if I'm really good at it, I'll join ranks with Alan Greenspan and Steve Ballmer. Here goes: America Online (AOL) Near term: speculate. Long term: Don't buy for your grandkid's trust fund. Often mentioned as a "leading Internet brand" by dim-witted commentators on the financial TV programs, the company is vulnerable because over half of its revenue comes from online fees. As ISPs continue to move towards the free access model, AOL will have difficulty weaning itself from this revenue. Also, as AOL users become more sophisticated, they tend to get sick of the lame interface. Apple (AAPL) Invest cautiously. Their iCEO only has one measly share of stock and only pays himself one measly dollar a year in salary. I'd be cautious about buying stock from a company in which the CEO has no monetary incentives. Steve may wake up one day and decide his ego is already big enough. Excite@Home (ATHM) Hold your nose! This one stinks. The only hope for existing shareholders is acquisition. Cisco (CSCO) Accumulate but don't be a sucker. No one knows how to do acquisitions like Cisco. As they accumulate new companies, you should be accumulating their stock. When they stop accumulating, you should start selling. Compaq (CPQ) Sell, sell, sell! Compaq sucks big time. E-Trade (EGRP) Mortgage your home! This stock is undervalued, as are many of the financial stocks. E-Trade with Chris Cotsakos at the helm is in a position to gain the most. It is the Schwab of tomorrow. It will go up, up, up! Motorola (MOT) Dump it now! Motorola is a fantastic company that likes to shoot itself in the foot so it can make another comeback. They've been on a ride lately, so I would expect them to start shooting soon. Microsoft (MSFT) Cry your heart out. If you're like me and have missed out buying this stock so many times over the past 10 years that you just can't stand to think about it, then don't buy it now. We all need something to cry about. Yahoo (YHOO) Trade all day long! Sell when it goes up $5; buy when it goes down $5. This will keep you busy for a long time. Dear readers, I hope you are looking forward to my press releases and future rankings. If you follow my advice, you might get filthy rich! David Bunnell is editor and CEO of UPSIDE.