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Technology Stocks : Softbank Group Corp -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TobagoJack who wrote (134)	5/6/1999 2:47:00 PM
From: Edwin S. Fujinaka	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6018

Hi Jay,...I too am doing the Options Game in recent months. Normally I am a long term buy and hold type investor, but that is not incompatible with trading options (especially at their current elevated prices). I am mainly selling stocks by first selling a near term close in call, with mixed results. I am selling some Intel, Microsoft and Gateway Calls to reduce my long term positions in those stocks. I also have some Closed end Mutual Funds in Foreign Country Funds. Which brings me to my interest in Softbank. I view it as a sort of Closed End Internet Fund. Actually, of course, it is much more than a passive Closed End Investment Company. Currently, I view Son's active management as a plus, but I am wary of any situation where His personal interests may diverge from an interest in increasing the value of His Company, Softbank. I think of Son as sort of a combination of Bill Gates and Donald Trump. It is the latter, Trump like, part that worries me a little. When you have multiple companies that interlock and overlap, there is significant chance of stock price manipulation via shifting profits. The recent charge that Softbank added directly to the profits for Yahoo (USA) and thus pumped up the price of Yahoo is very credible to me. When Yahoo (USA) goes up, of course the price of Softbank also goes up. This is OK with me if I happen to own Softbank, but I wonder how long this can continue. If Softbank and Yahoo use their inflated prices to make acquisitions of other inflated companies, I suppose it is OK in terms of Company building. In the long run, I am looking for Softbank to become the Worldwide Internet Company much as Microsoft is a Worldwide Software Company. Son appears to have the charisma to accomplish that. I anticipate a successful launch of American trading this year (hopefully). Five or ten years from now, the Stockbank price fluctuations of 1999 may appear to be minor ripples if things work out as I hope they will.