SI
SI
discoversearch

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: Jan Garrity Allen who wrote (28848)12/3/1998 10:26:00 PM
From: H James Morris  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 164684
 
Jan, if you don't trust me. Then may I suggest you trust him.
<NEW YORK - Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates may be a believer in the
future of the Internet, but he said today's valuations of Internet stocks
will be proven "excessive.>
Regards



To: Jan Garrity Allen who wrote (28848)12/4/1998 7:27:00 AM
From: Glenn D. Rudolph  Respond to of 164684
 
"But first a little about buying Internet stocks (or any stocks) on Margin. We
actually had quite a few e-mails questioning our anti-margin stance. Our
stance
is this: Margin--no. Diversification--yes. In regular stocks (Heinz, Coke,
Wal-Mart) twenty is the minimum amount of stocks you should own. If you are
overweighted in Internet stocks, you should probably bump that number to 30."

"Example: Let's say you bought 1000 shares of Doubleclick (DCLK) Monday at
$75.
When your broker takes the order he asks, "will that be cash or margin,"
(similar in tone to a Neiman Marcus clerk asking "cash or charge") you answer,
"margin." You are now the proud owner of $75,000 worth of stock--borrowing
$37,500. Eight hours into trading you still own 1000 shares of
Doubleclick--(now at $62) so it's now worth $62,000. Important point: You
still
owe the $37,500 (now and forever--or until you pay it back)."

"In the real world, the one we live in, the value of YOUR investment hasn't
dropped from $75,000 to $62,000. It has dropped from $37,500 to $24,000.
That's
a 34% whack. One day. Story not over. If it drops another 10 points tomorrow,
your $37,500 is now $14,000. Two days. Game over, margin call. You can now
count yourself among those investors who consider the stock market rigged,
nothing but a big gamble, a place where the little guy can't get ahead and a
place which is over-run with vicious shortsellers and evil market-makers. Will
Doubleclick drop another ten points tomorrow ? The possibility (not
probability) on a scale of one to ten is--TEN."

7/7/98.

As a side note DCLK did indeed drop another ten points in the next two trading
days and twenty points over the next two weeks, finally bottoming out at $14
exactly three months later. Not that you would have been there to see it
(assuming you didn't meet your margin call) because on 8/3/98 the $37,500 you
invested was worth ZERO as DCLK hit $37.50.