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Biotech / Medical : XOMA. Bull or Bear? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bluegreen who wrote (6953)	8/15/1998 6:11:00 PM
From: Slugger	Respond to of 17367

XOMA's chart: bigcharts.com An interesting pattern since 1996, XOMA has dropped below 4 on 4 different occasions and each time it rebounded quickly to above 4 3/8. If the past is any indication, this stock shouldn't stay here for long. Here is a shorter term chart of XOMA that shows a possible double bottom forming. iqc.com A move above 3 3/8 would be a break out from the double bottom pattern and from there one would expect the stock to move back above 4. If you are a trader it might be profitable to jump in on that break out for the move above 4. For longer term investors, considering that BPI news will be forthcoming over the next 7 months, this may be the last chance to buy in this range.

To: Bluegreen who wrote (6953)	8/16/1998 2:59:00 AM
From: Tharos	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17367

I don't anticipate much happening. Same party in power, new PM but surrounded by "old guard" in all the cabenate positions. If an equivilent shakeup in the next election happens, then a new party may try and tackle the tax problem. As long as the LDP remains in power, expect business as usual in gvt. Business still has a very long term outlook (a 25 year strategic plan is the norm). Large business is intertwined with each other thru stock ownership. Government keeps calling on banks to support marginal companies through loans. Economic goal of Japan is to get maximum employment for its people. The freewheeling spending is reigned in, business has contracted sufficiently. Joke in Japan is every fourth generation has to repurchase physical assets (inheritance tax is 33%). I think the opening of Japanese markets will have more impact than any government tax plan. There is still a lot of profit built into the system. 50 points is norm, even in grocery stores. Competition forcing these profits into a "US" type spread will do much more for the Japanese than proposed tax relief ever will. All IMO.

To: Bluegreen who wrote (6953)	8/16/1998 10:03:00 AM
From: Tharos	Respond to of 17367

Part two: The other "problem" that needs to be tackled here is productivity. I offer as examples: In jobs that don't require language proficiency I like to hire spouses of American military personnel here on Okinawa. Even though I lose them every one to one and one half years, their productivity more than makes up for the training costs. They typically run circles around my Japanese employees. The "lack of confrontation problem" or desire for harmony. If I worked for you and I turned in a bad product, let's say a report, and you did not like it, you would not directly tell me. You would tell a friend of mine you were disappointed. My friend would make some comment to the effect that you were really demanding and expected perfection. This would clue me into my turning in an unacceptable product. This face saving circuitous route hinders productivity. Because of the above, real decisions often cannot be made at work. They have to be made after work in a ritual drinking exercise. I've managed to cut it down to once a week, some companies do this three or four times in a workweek. Anyway, one day a week we all pile into taxies after work and head to an izakaiya, a food-bar. Once the alcohol hits the table, it can be blamed for anything that might be said, to include direct confrontation and direct statements. No one has to actually drink anything, the alcohol just has to be present. What goes on at the bar is never referred to again, but it is remembered. This is a great productivity killer because my employees cannot work out problems that may require confrontation until we get together for our weekly "meeting." I hope from these two notes that you can see simple tax relief in and of itself is not the true solution to Japanese economic woes. The LDP, the ones responsible for building post-WWII Japan, realizes this. I don't look for much tax relief. I do look for it to be much harder for the US to badger Japan into a 105 exchange rate the next time the US wants to do this to facilitate getting itself out of a recession.

To: Bluegreen who wrote (6953)	8/17/1998 12:31:00 PM
From: aknahow	Respond to of 17367

IDEC reports on Rituxan. While XOMA's contribution to the development of this drug brought it $17 million the fact that there are few side effects may help to spur interest in XOMA's HE technology. The market apparently cares very little that XOMA has made a major contribution to the development of the first monoclonal antibody to be used to successfully treat cancer. It will apparently take further developments by XOMA in this area before any attention is given. Perhaps hu1124 will provide the next test, of does the market care? Genentec apparently cared and said that XOMA's experience in this area was one of the keys to choosing to work with them. biz.yahoo.com