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Non-Tech : Bill Wexler's Dog Pound -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Hank who wrote (8043)	7/4/2001 8:34:07 PM
From: BinkY2K	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10293

Hank, I appreciate your points. Clearly, I would likely not be a regular here if not for discussing one stock. I have monitored this board for a long time and it seems oriented more for active investors. I am shifting back into a medium mode where I play a little but maintain a core position that is diversified and can be ignored for hours at a time. LOL! Your post about biotech has made me think and I have no firm conclusions yet. I have been reading that the money has been drying up and many small biotechs may be failing even if far along. These remain dangerous times but bargains may abound at the right time. My biggest problem is that the speed of discoveries may make even the best products superfluous. As an example, many diseases and conditions can be attacked at many points. Anti-biotics are an example. What if someone blocks a cascade at point A with lots of side-effects but it WORKS. As soon as they come to market, others market drugs that block it at point B or C or D with different or fewer side effects and also solve other problems and can sell it cheaper? They end up with a great drug and few sales. Believe it or not, I am trying to talk REFR management into possibly picking up some biotech expertise going forward. You know how some experts get too deeply into understanding just one field. They seem focused on creating tiny crystals which comes with many problems of getting the right size and uniformity. I think they could tailor harmless viruses of an exact size and shape for the job or use other biological particles that self-assemble and can be tailored to have specific properties or even take advantage of how some change conformation and present a variable cross-section. My main point is that biotech techniques can be used in imaginative alternate situations. Assuming that they make lots of money, which I expect and I know some of the people here question, I can see suggesting they devote some resources into buying into other companies, including biotech. Giving all the money back in dividends is too high tax for me. You ask if I play with other stocks. Certainly. I do have a varied life and REFR may be my biggest long-term position but I own and trade many other stocks. I did ask about NTOP here once. I did make a nice profit buying it near 5 and selling near 6 and am looking to buying more to add to a core position if it looks right. It remains speculative for many reasons. I asked here if anyone thought it was being shorted but I got no opinions. I am big on Liberty Media now that it is coming out from under the AT&T umbrella if they do things right. Again, it could go the other way, especially if the government makes them become a closed-end mutual fund! LOL! Believe it or not, I am also seeing cash as a great investment while waiting. Of course, if the shorts were not so focused on REFR, I would be holding more cash but I think that was cash well spent. They don't. That is what makes a market. You know what I really would like to hear more about here? I would like some analysis of the entire market, especially the NAZ. I want to get a feel for when a sustained upward move can be held. I am thinking of taking a plunge on issues like the QQQ.