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Technology Stocks : Ampex Corporation (AEXCA) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: WTSherman who wrote (3799)	11/11/1998 9:14:00 PM
From: Hal Campbell	Respond to of 17679

Just completely wasted $25 buying an online investment report on Ampex from Multex ( from AOL's investment research page- anyone on AOL, do not get suckered in by this absurd service ....stick to the free reports). No information at all really, other than .... One Wall St. Brokerage house covers it, and they requested that their name be withheld ( no kidding LOL). They were a penny high in their third quarter profit estimate...make no revenue estimates ...make no estimates for '99.....and estimate net profits ( nominal) of 28 cents for this year. AXC is rated a weak hold and distinctly unattractive. Whew! Well, anyone specializing in out of favor stocks has come to the right place. Those of us left are a brave ( or foolish ) bunch. If they can turn it around at all, they will do fine. But can they? Even to a modest degree? Just do not know.

To: WTSherman who wrote (3799)	11/12/1998 12:48:00 AM
From: Ed Perry	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17679

<< grasping at straws >> ..................... Yea, I'll admit to grasping at straws but I think it's more like groping to understand what's going on. Although I am comfortable with the language of finance and accounting and have a decent grasp of the technology in which this company is involved in, at base I am still tied to the price and volume pattern and am therefore have the perspective of a condemned market technician. In an immediate sense, it is clear to me that the the stock is getting a lot of probably smaller lot tax loss sales but it is also getting a lot of support. And perhaps a wee tad more buying support than selling pressure. This $1.00 level is not a false bottom (ie. appears like it cannot fall through that level) for only recently it touched $.75 on high volume. From a longer perspective, I am observing a arrest in the decline and a pronounced sideways drift and perhaps consolidation. If one looks behind, the record is poor, the fundamentals bleak and the trended outlook dreadful. So, what's going on? That's where I am groping for explanations. Were this a "traditional" business in manufacturing, distribution or retailing, the outlook would narrow down to two or three outcomes. However, Ampex is a high-tech company with a history of innovation and a distinct product line and does occupy a leadership position in a barely advertised niche. Also, newly set in place are some strategic initiatives in the likes of MicroNet, Michael Cooper, Imagio, and a web hosting service trial bloon attempt. In sum, there is a lot of opportunity for surprise. You are right about the mainstream storage market being over represented. Hopefully Ed Bramson will not try to compete head on in this direction. As stated in his July 6 letter to shareholders, his "...plan is to create a group of businesses in the digital image field that provide services as well as equipment ....[these have].... opportunities for companies like Ampex that have digital video know-how." One thing I am certain of is that customers of these services really want know-how along with products. They have neither time nor resources to ramp up specialized knowledge. I take this to mean DST and a scaleable and diverse array of storage media for caching and phased delivery of multimedia on demand. I also interpret the service side to mean applied know-how clear through to a pay-for-use web hosting rental service. Still one more spin on the surprise effect is the results of the Imagio market research. While Ed Bramson wrote his letter last July, it is only recently that this market research apparently has begun. What new directions will Imagio's recommendations suggest? Finally, while Bramson's letter stated an Ampex centric group of business, the modern way is the shift and mix alliances and partnerships. What new business forms, conglomerates, holding companies, joint ventures, joint ownerships will Imagio and intriguing business associates conjure up? Yet more surprises. In any event, I took another serious look at the Ampex long range chart and have some new observations. These for next time. Ed Perry