To: Patsy Collins who wrote (74 ) 1/14/2002 8:30:09 AM From: stockman_scott Respond to of 167 Did Goldman Really Do Their Homework On Enron...? Whom Do You Trust? A SPECIAL REPORT BY ALAN M. NEWMAN, EDITOR HD BROUS & CO., Inc.'s CROSSCURRENTS JANUARY 10, 2002 <<...On October 9, 2001, five Goldman Sachs analysts released a report citing Enron as "still the best of the best," and "strongly" reiterated their recommendation, with the expectation that the shares would "recover dramatically in the coming months." Earnings estimates for 2002 were cut to $2.15 and the price target was cut to $48, representing a 43.5% improvement from the October 9th close of $33.45. Truth be told, we expect that even the finest analysis can sometimes go awry as expectations are dashed by the realities provided by time; as plans do not work out and as strategies backfire. But very rarely will we ever see misjudgments on this scale and proved within mere days of their positioning! Granted that management was less than forthcoming, but Goldman's analysts said, "We recently spoke with most of top management; our confidence level is high." Is the onus only on those who are not painting the complete picture or is it also on those who are viewing it through rose-colored glasses? We believe trust has taken a very large turn for the worse. The case of Enron represents a watershed event, a confirmation of a process already underway since December of 1996 when Alan Greenspan pondered the possibility of "irrational exuberance" and then like comedian Steve Martin, apparently posited "nahhhhh!" Given that the seventh largest U.S. company could make it to the junk heap of history in such a short time along with dozens of high tech and internet fave choices of professionals from only a year before, it would appear that the tide has certainly turned. The rationale for trust has all but evaporated...>>cross-currents.net