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Technology Stocks : VeriSign (VRSN) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DD™ who wrote (35)	2/23/1998 6:43:00 PM
From: Eric Van Buskirk	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1285

Greatest short I ever saw-- Based on modest knowledge of the company and industry. People are too polite on SI and don't talk about shorting much. This is my 3rd time shorting in 12 years of trading and I feel excellent about it. I hate to repeat everything that's contained in the NYT SUN b. section but please read this article-- incredibly compelling as to why VRSN is ready to dive. I've worked in the interactive media/internet industry for four years, 1/2 of my opinions are based on my industry knowledge. There are so many troublesome things going on with VRSN. Here's a few. 1) biggest of course is their valuation assumes that internet commerce will be the most incredible event since the automobile came along and that VRSN will for the most part _own_ this industry!!!! Absolutely absurd. There are many other companies developing similar technology and Versign hopes it's branding will keep it in the lead. When you have other companies developing similar secure trans. products that have highly valuable brand equity who is Verisign to asume they can compete? I think their model stinks. Net users like to do things quickly, on impulse. They are not going to go fill out application for keys with a third party they may know little about. It's the consumer side of this I know they will trip over (given their valuation). I should know more about their work in b. to b. transactions. That industry will indeed explode, but I don't see VeriSign having anything so special as to be a top 3 player there. Really, the NYT article contains all you need to know to do some do some more research and see what a compelling short this is. Maybe NYT online has it, otherwise pick up the paper-- it's worth your time. Your responses are appreciated. Eric