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Technology Stocks : Intel Strategy for Achieving Wealth and Off Topic -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Yaacov who wrote (14851)	12/19/1997 3:12:00 PM
From: William Hunt	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27012

FRANK , SONNY --- SOME GOOD NEWS - ONE OF THE BEST INDICATORS I HAVE SEEN IN A WHILE !Dow Jones Newswires -- December 19, 1997 Worried About High-Tech Stocks? Check Garbage Index By Christopher Grimes AUSTIN, Texas (Dow Jones)--Peak International Ltd. (PEAKF) makes little plastic containers that semiconducter makers use to ship their chips to manufacturers of everything from computers to cell phones to new cars. But Peak's hottest product is its Garbage Index. More than 500 manufacturers, including all the powerhouses - Compaq Computer Corp. (CPQ), Dell Computer Corp. (DELL), Motorola Corp. (MOT) and others - receive chips they put into their products in Peak's containers. The containers look like shallow black ice-cube trays and cost a few dollars each, so after they take out the chips, the companies toss them into special recycling bins. Peak collects the empties and sells them again to chip makers like Intel Corp. (INTC) and Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN). That's how Peak came to create its Garbage Index. The process provides a pretty clear picture of how many chips are going into computers, cell phones, modems, auto-navigation devices and other high-tech products. With 40% of the market for the chip containers, Peak has recycled more than 100 million trays by now, enough to make the trash count a pretty fair industry yardstick. It's a "sanity check" for analysts trying to cope with the wild market swings of high-technology stocks, says Richard Brook, father of the Garbage Index and chief investment officer of Peak. "We get good information on the health of the business," he says. Brook giggles when he talks about the Garbage Index, which he originated to track his own business. It grew beyond that when Wall Street analysts and tech investors discovered its bottom-line relevance to other companies. The Garbage Index "gives us a very good indicator of the level of year-over-year unit volume in the semiconductor industry," says Brook. Krishna Shankar, an analyst at Donaldson Lufkin Jenrette, concurs. "It's a humorous indicator, but it's a real-time indicator that gives a real sense of how chips are actually being used," says Shankar. The index isn't nearly as useful as analysts would like it to be. Brook won't tell them the nitty-gritty, who's-up-who's-down scoop the trash shows him each month. If Peak ever gave out the skinny on an individual company's orders, "we'd get killed" by customers, says Brook. "I just tell them if the garbage index is going up or down." Peak's stock price lately has has fallen as technology stocks have taken a beating. Brook says when shareholders ask him about Peak's price, they invariably feign innocence and ask about the index. They ask, "Oh, and by the way, should I be worried about holding any of these other tech stocks?" says Brook. How is the Garbage Index doing? "It's up - way up," says Brook. "We collected 3.5 million units last month and 3.3 million the month before that," he says. -By Christopher Grimes; 201-938-5253 BEST WISHES BILL P.S Yaacov -WARM -65 DEGREES AND SUNNY - HAPPY HOLIDAYS

To: Yaacov who wrote (14851)	12/19/1997 3:39:00 PM
From: Sonny McWilliams	Respond to of 27012

Ok, Yaacov, I won't jump out the window. Besides, at this point the bulls and bears are having a good fight going. The dow at one point came back into the 60s but is down again around 100. Who knows, maybe the bulls will win. As far as the weather is concerned we are having early European Spring weather, sorry. It was several days in the 50s Fahrenheit. I have no idea what it is today. This cpt. and the market is keeping me a prisoner today. Too interesting to watch for going outside. If you stay on I will check as soon as I send this post and add the temp. to it. Not too sorry that you couldn't bottom fish CPQ at 49. Who knows, maybe you still will get a chance. Fat chance I hope. gg. Sonny P.S. wow, the dow is around 80 and the Naz around 3. Maybe at least the Naz will go into the plus column. Stuttgart 46, Washington, DC 60. Can't believe I was not outside all day. Northern Italy is not too far away from Stuttgart. How come you all are having snow? Maybe my nephews and families are skiing ther today. ' ' ' ' "

To: Yaacov who wrote (14851)	12/19/1997 3:47:00 PM
From: Barry Grossman	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27012

Yaacov, Hi mon ami! Sorry to hear about your weather at home. It's about 65, sunny and clear here today. Not bad but could be better. You posted some comments to Barry Watzman on the Intel thread yesterday and I think you had him mixed up with me. I'll be on the look-out for that info on Bergamo. The semis pulled the market back from this am's drop and finally showed a little strength. Now if we have a Santa Claus rally next week, I'll start to feel even better. As far as fundamentals are concerned, I'm not worried. I think all the FUD has been way overdone and hard facts will create new perceptions. I do not think Intel will disappoint and might even surprise slightly up. Remember what happened last January? Big upside earnings surprise from the 4th quarter. I don't think we'll see that again but there could be some sort of surprise as expectations have been strongly diminished with no news - just "analysis." Your accumulation of CPQ and INTC was a good move IMO. Do not fear the short-term FUD. Still considering a trip? Barry