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Technology Stocks : QUANTUM -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Vanni Resta who wrote (5398)	11/20/1997 3:47:00 PM
From: Rational	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9124

Vanni: Are you long on QNTM? Thanks in advance. Sankar

To: Vanni Resta who wrote (5398)	11/20/1997 6:57:00 PM
From: Rob S.	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9124

Yes, I personally have been told by companies that earnings guidance is either "firm" or "soft" or some other language to that effect. The company probably would not tell you in a direct statement, unless you had a very close and trusting "working relationship" with the CFO or CEO, but they will often give you some indication and then let you fill in the blanks. I've heard statements such as "our visibility on earnings is not very good right now" and/or "prices are soft" or "the order rate has slipped a bit". Not enough to get them into trouble but enough for the analyst to piece together with other information he has at his disposal, such as feedback from the company's customers, to work up a revised forecast. My personal experience with several, but certainly not all companies, is that if you take the time to build a relationship with a few key people that you can get information that will better guide your understanding of sales and earnings. It also helps to be working with an investment advisory or brokerage firm. You may not like it, but there is a "double standard" in this situation just as there is in most professional and other relationships. Do you think someone who walks in off the street has access to the same degree of help or information at your company that someone who has worked with your firm to your mutual benefit in the past?