posted 02-02-2001 05:57 PM         

The increasingly-prominent Congressional Privacy Caucus says it wants to pass a strong privacy bill and ban some Internet tracking technologies that monitor Web users as it tackles "the civil-rights issue of the decade." The group said it does not want to override state legislation, but added that federal privacy laws were needed to address growing public concerns about electronic surveillance - especially "bugs" that secretly track online behavior. (source: ZDNet) http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2681549,00.html

Amazon recently reported a plan to become profitable by 4Q 2001. But can they do it? Here's why Jim Jubak says the current earnings report points to lower numbers -- including the share price you should consider paying. (source: MoneyCentral) http://moneycentral.msn.com/articles/invest/jubak/6204.asp

posted 01-31-2001 06:08 PM         

Thinking that software leaders Siebel, BEA Systems, Veritas or Check Point are bargains? These companies may be strong market leaders, but that doesn’t necessarily mean up, up and away for these stocks, no matter what those pesky analysts say. (source: MarketWatch) http://cbs.marketwatch.com/archive/20010131/news/current/techwatch.htx

For quite a while, Yahoo and AOL were the undisputed leaders in the portal race. But, Microsoft's MSN is creeping up, and this article suggests there is still the possibility that one of the smaller players may take the lead. (source: Upside) http://www.upside.com/texis/mvm/digitalMedia/story?id=3a6f34921

posted 01-29-2001 06:50 PM         

ETrade Group's stock surged after the company announced that it was moving from the Nasdaq to the New York Stock Exchange. But ETrade is still an online broker, and this columnist says a different ticker symbol isn't going to give it the credibility of the established financials. (source: Red Herring) http://www.redherring.com/investor/2001/0129/inv-focb012901.html

posted 01-29-2001 05:41 PM         

Alberto Vilar has run institutional emerging tech portfolios and private accounts for more than 20 years. He says the B2B industry, companies that help businesses transact with other businesses on the Web, is where Net investors will make money over the long term. (source: The Street) http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/funds/fundjunkie/1268199.html

Perhaps more than any other dot-com debacle, the rise and fall of eToys parallels the treacherous ups and downs of early e-commerce. Portrayed as a superstar of the new medium in 1999, the toy retailer's market valuation soared to $7.7 billion the day it went public, 35% more than long-established rival Toys “R” Us. But despite a boardroom full of Harvard and Stanford MBAs and blue-chip backers, eToys wildly overestimated the size of its potential market and the speed at which it would materialize. (source: The Wall Street Journal) http://public.wsj.com/sn/y/SB980113514634649993.html

Several dot-coms that were universally thought to have bitten the dust have since risen from the ashes, in most cases with new management intent on rebuilding their once (and often, much) maligned brands. Now that they have received the breath of new life, they're charged with figuring out how to make sure their brand name doesn't stand for insolvency in the minds of consumers, vendors, or investors. (source: Business 2.0) http://www.business2.com/content/channels/marketing/2001/01/23/25020

According to venture capital research firm VentureOne, there was not a single venture-backed e-commerce initial public offering in the last three quarters of 2000. So, can the market for e-commerce IPOs possibly can get any worse? This columnist thinks it can. (source: E-commerce Times) http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/6978.html

Did you Yahoo? The stock has been rattled quite a bit over the past year, but it remains the online destination of choice. Will it bounce back? Have we yet to see the worst? These two columnists face off with bullish and bearish predictions for Yahoo’s future. (source: The Motley Fool) http://www.fool.com/duelingfools/2001/duelingfools01012400.htm

A slowdown in PC sales may be compounded as more attention is focused on Internet appliances, handhelds, cell phones and other gear. Only Microsoft, Intel and, to a lesser extent, Apple Computer seem intent on promoting the PC-centric vision of the world. (source: Forbes) http://www.forbes.com/columnists/2001/01/22/0122dvorak.html

It's become increasingly clear that the online ad boom was largely a mirage, one created by the unfettered spending of the dot-coms themselves. Flush with venture funding and IPO cash, Internet companies had been only too happy to ring one another's Websites with flashing banners. Now, the big advertisers are finally coming to the Web. That's bad news for dot-coms. (source: Fortune) http://www.fortune.com/fortune/2001/02/05/ona.html

posted 01-24-2001 10:14 AM         

In an effort to change its image, E*Trade will make the move from the Nasdaq exchange to the NYSE at the beginning of next month. Shares ended 6% higher on the day, as the change to a two-letter ticker symbol seems to be working wonders. (source: Cnet) http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-4572077.html

posted 01-22-2001 06:37 PM         

Internet banking has plenty of appeal. It allows people to pay bills, transfer funds and apply for mortgages, loans and credit from the convenience of their homes. Most of today's e-banks also offer lower fees and higher interest rates on deposits than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. So what's wrong with Internet banking? (source: Forbes) http://www.forbes.com/2001/01/22/0122sf.html

posted 01-18-2001 07:32 PM         

The Internet's explosive growth rode the back of the mighty economic expansion of the '90s. Today, a slowdown in PC buying, along with economic softness and rising credit card debt, may have a negative impact on online subscriptions. This columnist predicts that shrinking demand for internet subscriptions will spill over to hinder the development of new technologies and the profitability of online advertising. (source: Forbes) http://www.forbes.com/2001/01/18/0118simons.html

posted 01-17-2001 06:58 PM         

So far, the majority of B2C companies have been a major bust. But the problem wasn't the firms' technology, and a number are now trying to salvage themselves by applying said technology to another, albeit similarly insecure, business model - B2B. (source: Upside) http://www.upside.com/Ebiz/3a63674a14.html

Last year was definitely a tough one for venture capital firms investing in Internet properties. What does this year hold? (source: Business2.0) http://www.business2.com/content/channels/investing/2001/01/17/24786