Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Glenn D. Rudolph who wrote (20218)	10/5/1998 9:02:00 PM
From: llamaphlegm	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 164684

and this just in from planet benjy (1. 9/10 people in a bar could give a sh--t about the internet, let alone amzn (since they're not addicts like we are -- no where did i put that 12 step phone number???)) 2. no one, and i mean no one except shareholders and a hard core element knows or even cares about anything that amzn might sell other than books, and with good reason, it still advertises itself as "the world's biggest bookstore" 3. anecdotal evidence from a niece at college who happens to make work study working in the mailroom -- of the books being delivered, give me a rough breakdown of the source -- 50% -- 50% bks and amzn (a few no name (presumably bots???) and borders tossed in -- not exactly a statistically significant sample of campuses or book buyers -- but interesting nonetheless ... now back to planet benjy Monday October 5, 5:51 pm Eastern Time Select few Internet companies will report Q3 profits By Andrea Orr PALO ALTO, Calif Oct 5 (Reuters) - The upcoming earnings season could serve as a wake-up call for investors who have favored the volatile Internet stock sector, analysts said Monday. At a time when economists are throwing around phrases like ''global recession,'' analysts say investors could lose their stomach for online companies that have sexy business plans but have shown no signs of turning a profit. For the past year, many Internet companies have confounded logic by remaining popular with investors despite showing large splashes of red on their earnings statements. But that might be about to change. ''In a market that is as jittery as it is now, institutional investors are looking for specific data points to help them be bullish or bearish,'' said Scott Rimer, an analyst with Cowen & Co. in Boston. In other words, stocks of those Internet companies that show a profit or some clear indication of future potential will continue to rise, or at least sustain their high valuations. A slew of other second- and third-tier online businesses could suffer a loss of investor faith. Most analysts now have a very short list of Internet companies they consider strong investments regardless of trends in the overall economy. These include America Online Inc. (NYSE:AOL - news), the biggest online service; Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news), the most popular Internet directory, or portal, and Excite Inc. (Nasdaq:XCIT - news), the No. 2 Internet directory, which some think could report its first profit this quarter. Not that they are focusing only on the handful of companies reporting a profit. High on almost every list of Internet stocks to buy is Amazon.com Inc.(Nasdaq:AMZN - news), the online retailer of books, CDs and more, whose name has become synonymous with successful Internet commerce. Although Amazon remains deeply in the red -- it is projected to lose 57 cents per share in its third quarter -- it has built a large and loyal consumer base and a brand that is practically a household name. ''If you and I go into a bar and we talk about Internet shopping, I would bet the word Amazon would come up,'' explained Keith Benjamin, an analyst with BancBoston Robertson Stephens. ''Amazon is a lot bigger than books.'' Some other more specialized Internet businesses that are still not showing a profit but seem to be moving in that direction are CNET Inc. (Nasdaq:CNWK - news), the online service focused on computer products and news; and Sportsline USA Inc (Nasdaq:SPLN - news), which offers sports fans a range of products and services, from news to merchandise. Although the bottom line is becoming more important, it is still not the most important focus of Internet investors. Most recognize the Internet as a very young medium whose growth potential is so large it is hard to quantify. For that reason, they will also pay close attention this earnings period to metrics like ''page views'' and ''unique users'' that measure the number of people who visit a given Web site. This is especially critical for noncommercial sites like Yahoo and Excite, which generate revenues based on the number of viewers they reach. ''It's a war for eyeballs,'' said Creative Strategies analyst Tim Bajarin. ''And it's only going to intensify.'' biz.yahoo.com