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Technology Stocks : Disk Drive Sector Discussion Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Frodo Baxter who wrote (2246)	1/13/1998 9:13:00 PM
From: LK2	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9256

>>Don't look a gifthorse in the mouth, right?<< Is that based on the Trojan horse story? Wars can be tricky, and so can the market. Who would've thought that APM would go up in price on such a lousy earnings report, plus an unusual admission by APM that the current outlook for the next two quarters is extremely bleak? Sometimes I get the feeling that the market is smarter than we are. But at least the odds are better than in Las Vegas (I think). Best of luck on your shorts.

To: Frodo Baxter who wrote (2246)	1/13/1998 9:58:00 PM
From: Mark Adams	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9256

Are you saying you sold APM short at $10 or covered at $10?

To: Frodo Baxter who wrote (2246)	1/13/1998 10:07:00 PM
From: Mark Adams	Respond to of 9256

Off Topic- A potential short GERN GERON CORP (GERN) 12 7/16 +2 7/16. GERN shares rose 24% before being halted on news. The news: the company and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas reported today the successful extension of the life-span of normal human cells using the enzyme telomerase. In a paper published in the journal Science, January 16, 1998, scientists explain that the introduction of an active telomerase gene into normal mortal cells resulted in the lengthening of telomeres and a marked increase in the life-span of the cells, making the cell potentially immortal. "The paper is a monumental advance in the understanding of the molecular genetics of aging... will likely have many important applications in the future of medicine and cell engineering..." Sounds great. But what does in mean to me as a potential investor. Well, when the stock finally reopens, the shares will more than likely spurt several points higher. However, history tells us (particurly the history of GERN), that this issue will come tumbling down on the next weak day in the market. Yea, GERN is an old favorite of ours. The last time we recommended that investors consider a short of these shares was August 15, when the stock leapt more than 150% on news the company identified a protein key to the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells. If you had shorted then, you would have made as much as 50% on your money. Oops, the stock just opened: 14 1/2 +4 1/2. Good Luck.

To: Frodo Baxter who wrote (2246)	1/13/1998 11:31:00 PM
From: Pierre-X	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9256

Diplomacy is not your strong point. I was offering an interpretation of a news article that conjectured a possible move away from Slot One. Your rebuttal has merit, but the two scenarios you present hardly characterize the universe of all possibilities. Consider the following excerpt from the Q report: Gross margin percentage in the first quarter of 1998 is expected to be down a few points from 59 percent in the fourth quarter, primarily the result of purchased components used on the SEC cartridge for the Pentium II processor. Your scenario (b) -- a return to in-line packaging -- seems unlikely given the current trend to lower overal PC ASPs. I'm not convinced SRAM pricing is solely at issue here; the assembly cost of packaging the cartridge can't be nontrivial. APM didn't get hit nearly as hard as I anticipated. I suppose the broadly rising market helped to keep it afloat . . . more downward shocks from the other HDD quarterlies coming up should push this sucker's under. PX