To: Sector Investor who wrote (43643 ) 4/10/1998 4:00:00 PM From: username Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 61433
"The Whisper Number" IMHO, this "whisper number" jazz is horse puckey. I know brokers, I know traders at firms, I know day traders, I know a lot of people. None of them pay any attention to the "whisper number". I heard this phrase from a broker once, so I know that some brokers, etc. do think about it, but here is what I think: Somebody somewhere decided that if they could "outguess" the management come earnings announcement time, they could get a jump and make some fast dough. Some other people bought into it and away it went. Maybe some companies play that game. ASND does not. They can't afford to even if they wanted to, which they don't. Imagine being Mory and getting crucifed last year for "screwing up". I guarantee that had a lasting impression on him, even though I've never met him personally. The game at ASND is simple. Make the best stuff and move it out the doors. All this fancy accounting stuff is for other guys, not Mory. and not Ashby. They put the money in the books just like we do, after it comes in. (What a concept!) They have to look at the big picture. They already went through the "darling of the tech industry" thing, and they got caught up in it, and they got crushed. Once bitten, twice shy. Any sensible analyst, I mean one that actually has studied the company, knows this. It is not a hard line of thinking to follow. Find the best engineers, hire more of them, find the best management, hire them, hire good people, give them a good environment, plan way way ahead, make the best damn stuff on the planet, sell it, get the money, and book it. The rest is smoke and mirrors.