To: LTBH who wrote (16438 ) 11/28/1999 3:14:00 PM From: John Curtis Respond to of 27311
Networm: Testing the $8.5 level? Hmmmm....your question sounds like you've looked at a recent chart of VLNC where it shows how much of a spurt VLNC has undergone here in the past couple of weeks. $8.5 happens to be its ~12 day moving average. Typically speaking TA, in the form of free sites like Clearstation, etc., states that the best time to buy a company which has gotten way out in front of it's short term moving average is when its retrenched back to that same average(which is now a floor). And since VLNC has left the extreme speculative category(for me at least), it's reasonable to assume it'll begin to act like a "normal"(whatever THAT is) stock. That is, surges with subsequent backing and filling. Indeed, I've even put in a limit buy at the level you mentioned juuuust on the off-hand chance I might catch it. It may fall to that level, it may not.....the operative determinant is the sooner management comes out with addition p.o.'s....welll, the less likely a return to that level will occur. All this is imho, of course. I agree with you that management must be forthcoming and non-contradictory with their statements. VLNC management's history in this area is admittedly mixed. My guess is this is because to a certain extent they're "muzzled" by legal council as there IS at least one legal action still in motion. And based on their 1994 debacle...well...once bitten is twice shy in THAT department, eh? Particularly if the bite is self-induced.... So recognizing this, and juxtaposing it against their probable excitement at having finally 'rounded a significant corner in this companies development....contradictions are somewhat easy to understand. Still, Larry's correct that the SEC filings must be taken as a major source of credibility, particularly since they've been accurate to date. But, too, at this point certain company actions must be factored in, and that's the recent p.o. announcement, coupled to Hanil's announcement, insider buying, etc., etc.. If you're something of a speculator, or at least willing to lay monies down on a gamble, then these two areas should be explored.... As for the merits of cobalt vis-a-vie manganese....I won't claim any expertise in that area, but I seem to recall a conference call with former CEO Cal Reed, wherein he stated at least two fundamental reasons why cobalt won't be a ubiquitous battery solution. First, it's hands down more expensive than manganese, and by a quantum level in difference. Secondly, and to my mind in light of these environmentally conscious days, more to the point, cobalt ain't exactly environmentally friendly. It's a pain to dispose of...as a matter of fact, C.R. stated something to the effect that Europeans are looking more, and more, askance at batteries using cobalt(but I bow to any/all Europeans/experts who have first hand experience in THAT area). These two obstacles alone, discounting completely the more volatile characteristics of the substance, to my mind relegate it to niche applications.... With regard to your real-player difficulties, if you wander back to the time of the call I think you'll find several summaries worth reviewing....As for your "tie up" market segments statement. It's hard to get a read on this from management statements. BUT, one can read the tea leaves of L.D.'s statements about looking to involve VLNC in the product planning stages of their clients product development cycles. My bet is they'll attack cell-phones first(already verified by the recent p.o. announcement), then move on to PDA's, and other handheld vehicles, then to laptops as the prior sectors prove out their products capabilities. After that...who knows?? Toy industry applications? Alternative energy storage applications in such as automobile, home, etc..?? The key will be approaching key OEM's in the relevant sectors, from a sales perspective, and enticing them with VLNC products capabilities.....over-all it's a sales game at this point. To my mind the applicability of lith-poly battery products is limited only by one's imagination. Still....before going THAT far I'd just like to see another p.o...... Regards! John~