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Strategies & Market Trends : The Thread Formerly Known as No Rest For The Wicked -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Tim Luke who wrote (27409)	4/14/1999 8:41:00 AM
From: Sosmartinov	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 90042

Tim: Since you brought up FORE; do you have a rec re: buy, hold, or sell. Just curious.....

To: Tim Luke who wrote (27409)	4/14/1999 8:49:00 AM
From: jimbos	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 90042

Tim, Weren't you talking about playing internet stocks. Well ZD just got an upgrade from Merrill. Long story here. ZD owns 85% of ZDNET-ZDZ. 2 weeks ago ZD spun off ZDZ, on the day of the IPO Merrill downgraded ZD because they were not part of the underwriting team. They did bring ZD public.ZDZ is the internet tracking stock of ZD. ZDZ is valued at 45 a share, and ZD is at 18 1/8, if ZD owns 85% of ZDZ, well figure it out. That does not take into consideration ZD's other holdings, publishing companies, T.V. station and other things. On the day of the downgrade from Merrill ZD was at 29. Looks like this could be strong for a few days. Then on May 2 the 30 day quite period ends, and Goldman Sachs can start pumping both ZD and ZDZ. Jim

To: Tim Luke who wrote (27409)	4/14/1999 9:02:00 AM
From: kathyh	Respond to of 90042

news on FSFH... this one looks like it is up in premarket... I like your FORE target, Tim!!! First Sierra to Establish Internet's First Exclusively Business-To-Business Bank Business Wire - April 14, 1999 08:46 HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 14, 1999-- -Signs Letter of Intent to Invest in Bank Holding Company to Facilitate Acquisition of National Bank Charter First Sierra Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSFH) today announced that, subject to regulatory approval, it will establish the first Internet-based business-to-business bank. By establishing the Bank, which First Sierra anticipates will be operational by the end of the fourth quarter of 1999, the Company will be able to expand its equipment lease financing offerings to include a broad range of business banking products. The Board of Directors has also approved the Company's pursuit of additional capital to meet regulatory requirements in connection with the establishment of the new Bank. First Sierra's strategy is to expand its e-commerce product and service offerings to the small business market. The Company believes this strategy will be advanced with the creation of the first business-to-business Internet bank devoted exclusively to the needs of small business customers. The total number of small businesses in the U.S. is estimated to be in excess of 10 million. First Sierra has created a sizeable customer base exceeding 50,000 small businesses, including approximately 7,500 new business customers added in the first quarter. The Company received approximately 6,700 business applications in the month of March. "First Sierra's success to date reflects our ability to meet the needs of the small business market, which is underserved by traditional banks," said Thomas Depping, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Now, in addition to providing the financing services most banks no longer offer to small businesses, we're moving fully into the market niche they no longer occupy. By establishing an Internet-based bank, we can diversify our funding sources, lower our all-in cost of funds, and further the e-commerce strategy that is central to First Sierra's continued success." "Our Internet business strategy is to focus on the high volume of repeat transactions that small businesses conduct every day," said Michael Sabel, Executive Vice President. "Our new Internet bank will allow us to offer additional high margin e-commerce products to our rapidly growing number of business customers. We believe that our focus on the business customer has the potential to drive higher margins than the more commoditized Internet consumer bank model." This release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect the management's view only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Readers should also carefully review the risk factors described in documents the Company files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1998. First Sierra Financial, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, customizes lease financing products and offers servicing, consulting and technology solutions via on-line connections to its state-of-the-art computer system. The Company acquires, originates, sells and services equipment leases on a wide range of computers and peripherals, software, telecommunications, and diagnostic equipment as well as other specialized equipment for the health care, automotive, food and hospitality industries. First Sierra operates 28 offices in 14 states in the US and three locations in the UK. CONTACT: First Sierra Financial, Inc., Houston Thomas Depping, CEO Sandy Ho, CFO Peter Tallas, SVP 713/221-8822 or Morgen-Walke Associates, Inc., New York Michele Katz/Ian Hirsch Press: Brian Maddox 212/850-5600