Newsletter

Trading Alert: StockGroup.com (OTC BB: SWEB)

June 14, 2001
Volume IV, Issue 53
Email : info@otcjournal.com
URL : http://www.otcjournal.com

To OTC Journal Members:

Quick Note- Before deciding if you want to participate, please read the OTC Journal's section on Trading Alerts found on the left hand menu bar of our home page. For a Track Record of former Trading Alerts, Click Here.
 

Trading Alert: StockGroup.com (OTC BB: SWEB)

StockGroup is a company we profiled during the dot-com craze of the last bull market. We began coverage at $3 per share on August 27, 1999, and the stock never got much above $4.

StockGroup is one of the many offerings in the investment portal space. However, we always liked the company because they were one of the few portals which focused its energies on the small and microcap stock arena. Rather than compete against hundreds of other sites featuring information on large cap stocks, they went after the estimated 25 million investors in North America who participate in the under covered microcap area.

Their flagship site, www.smallcapcenter.com, is still considered one of the best resource sites for information on microcap stocks.

As with many of their brethren, StockGroup's business model was flawed. There were not enough advertising dollars to yield profits. Unlike their failed brethren, this company was lean and mean enough to adjust its business model before running out of capital, and has evolved into a new breed of cat.

Even though the financial community views StockGroup as an investment portal company, the majority of their revenues are now coming from their new roll as an Application Service Provider (ASP). They are taking the technology they developed and leveraging it into other areas on a global scale. Revenues are picking up, and today the OTC Journal learned StockGroup has hit the mother lode as an ASP, and we believe today's news will push the stock back up the charts just as good news has for Amazon, eBay, and Priceline.
 

Sony Announces Contract With StockGroup To Be Content Provider For New Sony Internet Computer

In a major media event held today, Sony unveiled its new eVilla™ Network Entertainment Center which is pictured here. Priced at $499.00, this exciting new box is a low priced multimedia device highly simplified for internet access and pre configured for music, pictures, and video. You simply plug it in, and you're on the Internet with a full multimedia and all the plug ins pre loaded.

The simplified NetGuide screen takes you to the latest information on News, Finance, Entertainment, Shopping, and Sports with the click of a mouse. Click Here for a better view of this new Sony product.

In today's unveiling Sony revealed StockGroup has been selected to supply the financial tools and content which will be available in the finance section to users.

StockGroup will receive a monthly licensing fee and additional incremental fees based on usage.
 

Trading Alert Details

Here are our thoughts on this Trading Alert on StockGroup.com (OTC BB: SWEB):

As depicted in the chart, StockGroup has been in a long term downtrend along with every other Dotcom. While many higher profile Dotcom names have provided substantial gains coming off the bottom on news of fundamental progress (i.e. Amazon, eBay, and Priceline), StockGroup.com has yet to rebound.

Today's news has not been disseminated by StockGroup at this time. We ferreted out this news from the Sony announcement. This gives members of the OTC Journal a competitive advantage with information ahead of the crowd.

Sellers are completely blown out on this stock and it has found support in the $.40 to $.50 range since early March. A large volume surge could bring sellers out of the woodwork, but it seems more likely that everyone who wanted to sell has sold by now. Supply should be limited, and demand should increase as news of this breakthrough gets out.

  • *Buy up to $.625 which gives you room to make money if the stock trades in our favor. If you can get in around $.50 it would be ideal. Very low risk entry level.
  • *Set your Stop Loss at $.35 (very close to the all time low) or what ever your risk tolerance is.
  • *If the stock can get through $.75 in the next couple of days it should go higher it could find its way to nearly $1.
We view this trade as moderately risky as we are starting so low, and this is not a long term recommendation. Don't be afraid to take profits quickly if the market provides a gain, and don't be afraid to sell quickly if the stock trades against you.

This newsletter is our opinion only, and not a solicitation to buy this stock. Make up your own mind. If you are looking for a short term trade limit your loss if the stock goes against you. As always, we remind you before making any investment decisions please review the section on our home page on Trading Alerts. Read our section on Successful Microcap Investing, paying particular attention to the Trading Strategies Section. The track record on our previous alerts can be obtained by clicking here.

Here is the complete text of the news release for your review:
 

e Villa Internet Service Bundles Top Tier Content for Off-Line Access to Commonly Used Information; Features Nightly Updates from ABCNEWS.com, Stockgroup, Zap2it.com and More
Business Wire via COMTEX
Jun 14, 2001 11:31:00 AM 

SAN FRANCISCO, Jun 14, 2001 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Cancel the newspaper because now you can get news, stock quotes, sports scores, weather, movie times and other frequently referenced information directly from Sony's new e Villa(TM) Network Entertainment Center -- without ever having to boot up.

At an event held here today, Sony Electronics announced agreements with a number of Internet content providers to enhance its new e Villa device.

Among the organizations providing content to the eVilla NetGuide -- an attractive, easy-to-use home page that helps users access commonly used information with one mouse click -- are ABCNEWS.com, Stockgroup and Zap2it.com. In addition, RealNetworks(R) will integrate its RealPlayer(R) 8 into the e Villa unit and EarthLink will be powering the e Villa device's Internet service.

Sony also announced that the e Villa device will be available at retail stores nationwide later this month for a suggested retail price of $500. 

The device supports up to four unique users with only one monthly Internet service charge of $21.95 for unlimited access. In addition, e Villa users can also access this service from their PC.

'With reduced boot-up time and online and offline access to e-mail and Web content, the e Villa Network Entertainment Center offers households with multiple Internet users a complement to the PC,' said Rob Bartels, general manager for Sony Electronics. 'Our seven-channel NetGuide is automatically updated nightly, connecting to the network when the user is asleep, and making the information available at the touch of a button first thing in the morning.' 

The following is a list of the content and service providers announced today:

    Internet Service Provider 

EarthLink -- The nation's second largest Internet service provider (ISP) as ranked by paying subscribers, EarthLink will power the e Villa device at a monthly charge of $21.95 for unlimited access for up to four unique users with private e-mail addresses, bookmarks, cookies and preferences. In addition, e Villa users will be able to add their PC to this service at no additional monthly cost. 

    Audio/Video 

RealNetworks -- e Villa users will enjoy an integrated RealPlayer(R), the industry-leading streaming media player, providing the best quality online audio and video experience. 

    Content Providers 

ABCNEWS.com -- One of the fastest growing news sites on the Internet with editorial and technical resources from ABC News and The Walt Disney Internet Group, ABCNEWS.com provides users with up-to-the-minute, informative and interactive coverage of a range of issues and event. e Villa users will be able to access all kinds of news at the touch of a button. 

Stockgroup.com (OTCBB:SWEB) -- A financial media and technology company, Stockgroup is providing Sony Electronics' e Villa users access to market information with delayed stock quotes, a personalized stock watch list, and a major North American indices intraday chart.

InfoSpace -- A leading, global provider of device-independent Internet infrastructure services, InfoSpace is powering a broad range of location-based consumer and commerce services, including merchant lookup, city guides, driving directions, mapping and more. 

Zap2it.com -- A division of Tribune Media Services (TMS), Zap2it.com is a leading provider of entertainment information products for print, electronic and on-air media. e Villa users will have both online and offline access to Zap2it's local TV and movie listings, entertainment news and movie reviews. 

Sony Pictures Entertainment -- e Villa users will have quick and convenient access to Sony's movie on-line content. 

SpotNet -- A company that makes enhanced TV content available from any Web-connected device, SpotNet lets consumers interact with television programming. e Villa users will enjoy an enhanced TV delivery service with the opportunity to interact with television programming, as well as a Web-based coupon management system. 

eBay -- The world's online marketplace is now available to e Villa users in one minute or less, compared to the average PC boot-up time of up to five minutes. 

Proflowers.com -- Providing customers with a fast, easy and reliable way to send the freshest quality cut flowers at a competitive price from anywhere on the globe to anywhere on the globe, Proflowers.com services are now available to e Villa users at the touch of a button. 

SonyStyle.com -- e Villa users will be able to link up to SonyStyle.com for information about all of Sony Electronics' audio visual and information technology products, or to shop directly online. 

EMAZING -- As a Sony Group Company, EMAZING offers e Villa users free tips and newsletters on popular topics via email and delivers electronic greeting cards. 

Meals.com -- e Villa users will have quick access to Meals.com's recipe of the day. 

    The e Villa Network Entertainment Center is equipped with: --  A Memory Stick(R) media slot: Uses removable Memory Stick media for a wide capacity of storage. Memory Stick media allows e Villa device users to share and transfer digital photos, videos, music, text and other digital files from dozens of different electronic devices.--  Two USB ports: The device supports external Iomega(R) Zip(TM) drives for extra storage, and many of the most popular printers for printing photos, Web pages, e-mails and more. -  Audio output jack: It's easy to connect the e Villa Network Entertainment Center to external speakers or your home stereo system.     --  Internet connection: The unit has a v.90 (56 kbps max.)         dial-up modem, and for future broadband access, an Ethernet port.     --  Online storage: In addition to Memory Stick and Zip disc storage options, each e Villa device user receives 10MB of online storage for e-mail.  --  Easy on/easy off: Three buttons on the front of the display         take the user to the Web; to their e-mail in-box; or to the eVilla NetGuide, a gateway to seven convenient channels of information. --  Offline access: Enjoy reading e-mail and Web content like movie times, weather, news and more without tying up your phone line. 

-- Crisp, clear portrait-style display: 15 inch (14 inch viewable) portrait-style Sony FD Trinitron(R) display, 800 x 1,024 resolution, the same flat screen technology used in Sony's WEGA(R) televisions.

Editor's Note: For additional information about Sony's products, call 888/222-SONY, or visit Sony's Web site at: www.sony.com. Press releases and digital images are available at Sony Electronics' news and information Web site at www.sony.com/news. 

CONTACT: Sony Electronics Inc.  Gretchen Griswold, 858/942-7732 gretchen.griswold@am.sony.com or Burson-Marsteller Taylor Kiland, 858/646-3078 taylor_kiland@sfo.bm.com URL: Website://www.businesswire.com Today's News On The Net - Business Wire's full file on the Internet with Hyperlinks to your home page. 

Copyright (C) 2001 Business Wire.  All rights reserved. 
 

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