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To: Gary Walker who wrote (32346)	1/3/1999 7:29:00 PM
From: Glenn D. Rudolph	Respond to of 164684

January 01, 1999 05:18 OPTIONINVESTOR.com Announces Investment Opinions Jump to first matched term NOTE TO EDITORS: The following release is an investment opinion issued by OPTIONINVESTOR.com DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 1, 1999-- OPTIONINVESTOR.COM Year End News MARKET CLOSE: DJIA 9181.43 -93.21 NASDAQ 2192.55 +25.06 VIX 25.40 +1.61 Russell2000 421.98 +10.07 It's the last day of the year and it has been quite a ride and there are more surprises and profits in store. Although the DOW did not close in record territory, the NASDAQ did and the clear winners (our White Knights) for 1998 were the NASDAQ tech stocks and especially the internet stocks. Note the strong close of the Russell 2000, a 10 point move in the index today. Good portents for the small caps at last? Here are some of the current comments from OPTIONINVESTOR.COM of last Sunday. STOCK COMMENT (NASDAQ:AMZN ) Splits 3:1 on the 4th of Jan. (NASDAQ:YHOO) Earnings on the 7th of Jan. (NYSE:AOL) Added to the S&P 500 on the 1st. (NASDAQ:CMGI) Splits 2:1 on the 11th of Jan. (NYSE:IBM) New BREAKOUT, new target=$215 (NYSE:SLR) Added to the S&P 500 on the 1st. (NASDAQ:BRCM) Internet/semiconductor dual play (NASDAQ:LGTO) Earnings run & split candidate (NASDAQ:NOK/A) Split candidate (NYSE:TWX)) Price target=$115 (NASDAQ:INTC Kurlak Upgrade!! (NYSE:ATI) New 52 week highs (NYSE:LOW) Seven days of gains in a row (NASDAQ:SPLS) Splitting in January (NASDAQ:CSCO) Split candidate (NYSE:KSS) After Christmas sale winner (NYSE:WMT) New toy shoppers & split candidate (NYSE:JBL) New highs (NYSE: HD) Strong sales for quarter (NASDAQ:MSFT) Split candidate (NYSE:MYG) Strong and steady (NASDAQ:EGGS) Ready to take off (NYSE: SCI) High short interest (NYSE:T) No competition from the Bells (NASDAQ:WCOM) No sellers in sight (NASDAQ:SUNW) Consolidating for next run (NASDAQ:NEON) Also ready to (NYSE:EMC ) On vacation, be back soon (NYSE:AIG ) Waiting for que from the Dow (NYSE:TXN ) Profit-taking (NYSE:LXK) Profit-taking (NYSE:INKT) Closed at high for day on Thursday Newsletter subscribers are aware of the current recommendations posted on the website and the comments are meant to give a brief insight into the current view on those issues and how they should be played. Visit the website at www.optioninvestor.com for a two week free trial. or call 1-303-220-9218 CONTACT: The Option Investor Newsletter Richard Kern, 303-220-9218

To: Gary Walker who wrote (32346)	1/3/1999 8:59:00 PM
From: getgo234	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 164684

Gary: Thanks for your comments regarding on line publishers. I visited the Random House web site and as you said they do not sell directly to consumers. However, they will help identify a bookstore near you which sells a specific book. I assume they only provide this assistance for books published by Random House. It does sound like a useful service and sure beats going to a local bookstore to ascertain if a specific book is available. It may also save some shipping charges if the book is available locally at a comparable price to an on line seller.

To: Gary Walker who wrote (32346)	1/4/1999 12:20:00 PM
From: Rob S.	Respond to of 164684

Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com have much the same outlook on where business is headed. Both are trying to become more "vertically integrated". Indeed, B & N championed this concept in book retailing by consolidating efficient distribution operations and publisher relationships while appealing to consumers tastes with "mega" stores. This trend is part of a broader one that includes other mass merchandizers such as Costco and WallMart. As a consequence, the small retailer has been negatively impacted. But make no mistake, Amazon's goal is the same - eliminate the middle man and streamline distribution and sales. It is amusing that Amazon has blasted Barnes & Noble's acquisition of Ingram Books as being anti-competitive. The fact is that B & N simply got a quicker jump out of the gate toward integrating more distribution into their business model than Amazon has been capable of doing. But monopolistic? What a laugh! Bezos and Covey have stated repeatedly that Amazon's goal is to reduce the reliance on distributors by purchasing directly from publishers and building their own world-wide distribution network. The discount pricing model that Amazon and all other major Internet book sellers practice is inherently at odds with traditional retail establishments. For now growth is the mantra and cost structure is the still distant goal. It's far too early to see who will come out on top. The "top" of this pile is likely to mean lots of low margin sales and lots of competition.