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Strategies & Market Trends : Rande Is . . . HOME -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: KevinThompson who wrote (6225)	5/3/1999 11:25:00 PM
From: Rande Is	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 57584

I am staying away from the big internets and any others that don't have some serious pending news. FATB could be a case of too little too late. Last May, NAVR and TUNE both looked extremely promising when they moved from 3 to 9 in April/May. . . .then they fell all the way back during the summer. I guess it just depends on your time frame. . . Thanks much, Kevin. Rande Is

To: KevinThompson who wrote (6225)	5/4/1999 8:17:00 AM
From: Rande Is	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 57584

. . . . On FatBrain [FATB]. . . . Not my thoughts, but a well thought out presentation in anonymous response to Kevin. . . with thanks to the poster, Rande Is - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PRO: (1) MSFT co-founder, Paul Allen, is an investor. (2) Best source of books for IT professionals anywhere. (3) VERY strong name-brand recognition among their target audience. (4) IT is a HUGE growth area and it is expected to continue to grow into the foreseeable future. (5) Most IT pros. get their books paid for by their employers, so they buy more than they would otherwise. (6) Deal(s) with MSFT/MSN. (7) Very little institutional interest. (8) Ignoring the "pop" this stock seems to be creeping along at an approximate 15% annual rate -- looks like this is sustainable. CON: (1) The gap up was caused by the unavailability of shares to short immediately following the name change. (2) Prior to that CMPL (old symbol) short position was increasing linearly over the last six months, while the volume was dropping exponentially. (3) FATB short position is now moving back in where CMPL left off. (4) CEO is a disaster (interview-wise) -- his appearance on CNBC after the name change signalled the death knell of the "pop." (5) The terms of the MSFT "arrangements" were not made public, so the profit sharing of these deals is as clear as mud. (6) Very little institutional interest. (7) One misstep, and those who don't much respect companies with "cool" names, anyway, will drive a stake through your heart.