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Technology Stocks : Winstar Comm. (WCII) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Alejandro who wrote (3177)	12/18/1997 11:28:00 PM
From: Steven Bowen	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 12468

Ali, did you have time to read the MCCI thread on Yahoo. A real eye opener. Mostly a bunch of past and present employees, so they know what they're talking about. The gist of the bitching: Upper management sounds like a bunch of worthless, back stabbing, lie to your face, incapable idiots who has no idea how to run this company. Sounds like they used to have a good bunch of employees, but most have long since jumped ship. The accounts recievables will never be collected. Sounds like a total mess. Bills totally screwed up, double billing, bills for calls supposedly made 2 years ago, customers who never recieve bills, etc, etc, etc. Billing systems, WAN's/LAN's, all internal systems seem totally screwed up and nobody knows how to use or fix them. Customer base may be non-exitistant. No customer support functions at all now. May be only customers that are staying are only staying because they aren't being billed. Account reps are bailing out left and right and taking their accounts with them. Can't hardly repeat the names the sales force was called (by their fellow employees). Calling them worthless crooks seems to be pretty accurate and nicer than what most called them. This is not to say that it is totally hopeless. They do seem to have some assets that may be valuable. But it doesn't look like anything will be quick or easy. This is one move we may have to go way out on a limb and put a lot of trust in WinStar's management. They're by no means stupid, so you gotta believe they know what they're doing. WinStar's been up since the announcement (in a sh*t market), so Wall Street may be betting on WinStar management. Today was interesting; AT&T hits a new high as the Street is getting excited about the moves the new management there might make, but TCGI and MCLD (two potenetial targets) were down (TCGI down big most of the day). But WinStar was up (the other potential target). TGNT just continues to baffle me.

To: Alejandro who wrote (3177)	12/19/1997 7:00:00 AM
From: limtex	Respond to of 12468

Ali - There was a statement issued by one of the senior Merrill Lynch people who said basically the market is going down and might bottom out at around 6,000. Now some other senior analyst has also said something similar but I saw Abby Cohen on Money Line and she remains bullish for 1998. Whatever today looks like its shaping up to be remembered....

To: Alejandro who wrote (3177)	12/19/1997 7:09:00 AM
From: limtex	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 12468

Ali - Merrill Lynch Comments - NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- The chief market analyst at Merrill Lynch & Co. says investors should brace for a possible severe correction in the U.S. stock market next year. Merrill Lynch analyst Richard McCabe said the market could be vulnerable to a cyclical decline in 1998, which could bring the major averages down as much as 25%. A correction of that magnitude would pull the Dow Jones Industrial Average, now around 8,000, down to around 6,000. The correction, however, will lay the groundwork for the next cyclical bull market, which should start in late 1998 or early 1999. McCabe spoke at a press conference at which Merrill Lynch analysts provided their 1998 economic and investment forecasts. McCabe said that before the onset of the correction, U.S. equity markets will likely reach new highs either in the final weeks of this year or early next year, as stocks near the end of a four-year cyclical bull run. McCabe referred to the turbulence in Asian markets and the October sell-off in domestic markets as a "warning crack" that the current bull market is nearing its end. "It's a wakeup call," he said. "Markets are like trees. They don't grow to the sky." In its published forecast for next year, Merrill said the global investment scene next year will be dominated by low inflation, declining interest rates and slower growth. "Asian growth is about to slow sharply and the Asian crises will ultimately slow the entire world economy," Merrill said. "For investors, the key will be to find sources of growth in a slowing economy." The brokerage firm said restructurings and consolidations will prove to be major sources of earnings growth for most companies. Industries in the throes of consolidation include: airlines, financials, selected energy, capital goods and CATV companies,it said. In the U.S., GDP growth is expected to slow to about 2.5% during 1998 after jumping nearly 4% during 1997, Merrill predicted. "The Asian crises should reduce U.S. growth by about half a percentage point next year, or more," it said. "The transmission mechanism is the U.S. trade balance, which will deteriorate sharply as exports slow." Asia accounts for nearly 30% of U.S. exports. Merrill said it is recommending higher quality stocks and bonds for investors around the world and believes that the two areas in the world that can accept foreign investment and grow are Eastern Europe and Latin America. In the U.S., financials and other bond substitutes like real estate investment trusts are favored, as well, it said. Merrill's chief economist, Bruce Steinberg, said the U.S. economy was beginning to moderate even before the Asian crises could affect growth. "In particular, consumer spending appears much softer in the fourth quarter than earlier this year," he said. Steinberg expects the slowdown in spending next year will be concentrated in consumer durables, particularly vehicle buying, where pricing is likely to weaken. Steinberg believes the U.S. inflation rate will continue to ease next year, with the Consumer Price Index rising less than 2% and prices for consumer goods declining. Steinberg's inflation view is predicated on economic growth moderating, capacity expansion accelerating, and import prices declining. He believes that the Fed will probably ease next year and bond yields could fall as low as 5.5%, from their current level just under 6%.