To: craig crawford who wrote (225 ) 11/27/1997 8:28:00 PM From: Sir Auric Goldfinger Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 342
AH HA (as Oddjob said when he found the fraudulently placed golfball)- someone who understands a bit more than most on this thread. In fact, you are correct about the limited market makers-three at the moment. Makes it particularly tough to put on more of a position when the makers trade 200 shares between them to show a move up for the morning and then move their quotes down a 1/4- so I can't get that uptick I need. Also quite difficult when market makers back away from the size they are quoting. I do notice that the big dog MMKR in this stock used to quote 4,200 and is now down to 2,200, but he won't stand by it. The Short data is from the end of October, I can assure you it's even more now. The stock ain't that hard to borrow either. As for taking it up higher, that's fine, the higher the discontinuity with reality, the more gravity begins to set in and more radar screens that it gets on. Valuation does end up playing a role at some point. Compare APAT's P/book,P/Sales and P/E (earnings-smoething APAT deosn't seem to produce) to Ciena (they're very similar-read prior postings), THE WDM player who's done everything right and who's stock is now starting to come under short pressure because Lucent has begun that old competive thing of lowering price) and lack of any real news (I mean when will the Aberdeen facility actually ship any products and at what yield and who will actually buy them in quantity given the competing players and their ability to market and stand behind their product???) How come none of the boyz who've done the "due diligence" ever debates the valuation point? Or the lack of shipping competitive product? If the rest of the thread thinks they've got someone who can't take the pain, they should examine VSNR (Visioneer), ISCO (Illinois Superconductor -very similar in terms of its denoument to what APAT is lining up for. Similar in that no apparent fraud by mangement, just huge overvaluation and attempted market maker manipulation) and, best of all SOLVQ (SOLV-EX second only to BRE X as an overhyped fraud). I've been there and have won many times. The difference with those and APAT is that I've not writen yet on it.(Perhaps this thread will become the medium and the message) When I started ISCO there was less than 1% short (MAY, 97) and 3 MMKRs-it is now clearly toast. You've read it here first. With the new short interest increase in late November and into December, the stock will definately hit Hoenig's Short Alert and more players will register to make the stock. I am in no hurry and have a fairly high average price and can box at any time. AS well, 'tis but a small portion of equity in the portfolio. Obviously, this thread has become too interesting from an academic standpoint to just leave the stock boxed... In fact, there has been the thin end of a wedge with Instinet (INCA) and Bloomberg (BTRD)trades starting to show up, but in fact most of that appears to be MMKRs using the anonyminity of that medium to hide their activities from each other (no honor amongst theives). This, of course along with some of the wholesalers registering and perhaps a few others that break local cabals will increase the denominator in the equation. Of course, I do expect some of those with mice cajones to start SOES trading through ISLD, but that only helps ruin the day of the MMKRs and give the rest of us more liquidity. Shorting a stock without much liquidity initally is part of the price of getting short something that has enormous downside potential and is not yet crowded. And so it goes and where it goes no one knows.