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Technology Stocks : Dell Technologies Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Frank Ellis Morris who wrote (98637)	2/13/1999 5:45:00 AM
From: Dwight E. Karlsen	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 176387

Dan Niles of BA/RS. He opined that Dell might be worth only $80. The nerve, hey? Analysts should be required to only hype stocks (oops, they mostly do already). btw, libel=public slander or defamation. liable=legally responsible. Is anybody libel for the comments made yesterday causing the Dell sell off?? I would be happy to join the class action suit if so please advise.

To: Frank Ellis Morris who wrote (98637)	2/13/1999 10:31:00 AM
From: Mohan Marette	Respond to of 176387

Schmuck-speak: "Buy-Strong Buy-Accumulate." Huh???? Frank: Regarding 'libel' & Dan Niles- Unfortunately I don't think it is libel,it is free speech you know.Any baffoon can pretty much say what he wants,like we often do,me in particular.<vbg> Now you can use a good laugh can't you? Here is a little something I found on analysts recommendations and what they mean or don't mean. Enjoy. ========================= (Courtesy:SmartMoney) February 12, 1999 Buy. Strong Buy. Accumulate. Huh? QUESTION: I'm confused by the myriad ratings given by the various brokerage houses. For example, what is the difference between a Buy and an Accumulate? -- Tom Picket ANSWER: Brokers have more euphemisms for buy and sell than Starbuck's has flavors of coffee. The aim, of course, is to communicate their degree of affection for a stock. But remember, affection can be influenced by cold cash. For instance, if a brokerage firm underwrote a stock offering, it may be prone to ignore the company's faults. Likewise, if the brokerage firm is trying to get the company's investment banking business. Finally, these analysts depend on their access to companies for their own research reports. "Giving a Sell rating would be like biting the hand that feeds them," says Kent Womack, an associate professor of finance who specializes in this subject at Dartmouth College. In other words, if an analyst gives a company a negative rating, then that company could fight back by not returning the analyst's calls in the future. Suddenly that analyst doesn't have the information he needs to do his job. Out of the 26,000 recommendations that are tracked by First Call Corporation, less than 1% are Sell ratings, according to Joe Cooper, a senior research analyst at First Call. So take broker ratings with a grain of salt. And remember, they're often more optimistic than they should be. Here's a glossary that might help. Strong Buy: We love it! Buy: We just underwrote this company's bond offering, and we're pretty sure its stock will go up. Accumulate: The company isn't great, and the price is high. But if it gets cheap enough, you should buy it. (We'd like to earn the commission.) Hold/Reduce/Underperform: Sell. (But we're too afraid to say so.) Sell: We never use this word. Send your questions to asksmi@smartmoney.com. Please include your full name.