Ah, as for what inspired me: funnily enough, I was hoping to be living in a house rather than this townhouse by this time. Back in November, I wanted to make some money to help out with the closing costs. I picked a bad time for that. Anyway, in February I and everyone I worked with was informed that we were going to be sold off within six months and if our division couldn't be sold, we'd be layed off. So that was it for the thought of getting a house.

This was indeed my first foray!

I took five hundred bucks back in November and bought:

o Ten shares of Cisco
o Ten shares of Take Two Interactive.

This came out to be around $400. Now you may say, "ten shares? What's the point?" Well, that's what I am saying as well. It takes money to make money.

My theory was that Take Two was going to sky rocket once they announced earnings for the console version of Vice City. I mean, they had two million pre-orders booked. My theory was shaped that way, because they were going to make lots of money. I was planning on selling it around December 18th when the announcement of earnings was made.

What a fool I was! Basically, a stock analyst downgraded all video game stocks on December 17th. Why? No reason. This piece of garbage had no idea what he was talking about. Take Two revealed profits over $700 million, but because some hack -- who knows less about the video game industry than I do -- had a bee in his bonnet, the stock never took off. It went way down after he made his ignorant comment which was proven laughably incorrect within 48 hours, and when Take Two had that great quarter, it only got back up to where I had bought it.

I'd love to punch that guy in the face.

Cisco was a "tip" that I got from former JC Denizen Da King, as it was trading at $12.30. It's up five bucks from that now, but when you only buy ten shares you've barely made your trade fees back. Stupid, stupid, stupid of me.

That brings us to Targeted Genetics. After doing this for eight months and seeing my stuff barely hover around the original $500 I invested, this stock took off like a rocket on Thursday when they announced that Fibrosis research, and then again on Friday when they announced AIDS research updates. Because it was so cheap ($0.43 a share) when I bought it, I bought a lot more than the worthless ten shares I bought of the others. You're right, I did no research on TGEN... I just went off a tip I saw on the Something Awful forum.

I do hope I am not coming off as a braggart or anything in this thread. I'm just happy. My investments had been down quite a deal for much of the last three months and for whatever reason, the black hole that is Take Two has finally gone above where I bought it, but by only a few pennies. I can say that TGEN should be making more announcements in the future, and it's cheap enough now ($4.00 a share) that a casual investor like myself might find some value in it. So if there are any other guys in the market, that's a helpful hint on JC that hopefully will result in cold hard cash.

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote: Ride the snake with me!

Funny - that's what I tell my girlfriend every third friday of the month.

Er, that was cheap. Ahem.

ICJ, are we to assume that this is your first foray into the exhilirating realm of financial speculation? If so, could you tell us what inspired you to make such a leap? And why you chose this company? (i.e. you didn't actually do any research - did you?)

Wait until the stock splits then you might see some real money. Woo hoo! If you become a millionaire, hook me up!




THE
COATTAIL
AARDVARK

This is all going to result in Nazi Supermen you realize?

Update! They had some cure for Cystric Fibrosis that just, ah, caused some news!

It's up to $4.00 a share. So the return on this investment is 797.49%. And I'm still riding the snake, unwilling to sell just yet, as they will soon reach something called "Level Two" or "Phase Two" testing or something like that. Technical details are for losers! A rudimentary grasp of the science involved is for socialists! Ride the snake with me!

Update!

Targeted Genetics has announced that they have received a patent! For something having to do with an AIDS vaccine!

This has brought the value of the stock up to a whopping $1.09, currently. It has increased 49% today.

If I had bought 800 shares rather than 80, I'd be all set here. But I didn't! I think I need to be dropping a whole lot more money into the stock market. Even when I hit I barely make back the $22 it costs to buy and sell a stock.

Oh, well. Here's to an AIDS-free 21st Century, hopefully!

TGEN Update!

o AIDS has still not been cured. But it hasn't been cured by anyone, so TGEN still has a chance!

o The stock is at $0.48, so that's a gain of five cents.

Jonsey Update!

o I am still AIDS-free.

o I haven't made back my commision fee yet.

This has been your weekly Targeted Genetics Update!

Now, what about the "Big 6" and "Big 8" that the stickman keeps crowing about and trying to persuade you to throw your chips on? Whatever you do, don't do it!

You are betting that a 6 or 8 will come up before the next 7. As we've discussed in previous sections, the odds of a 6 or 8 coming before a seven are 6 to 5. Therefore, for the Big 6 or Big 8 to be a fair bet, the payoff would have to be 6 to 5. Of course, no bet in the casino is fair, but the Big 6/8 only pays even money.

As if that isn't enough of an insult to you and your hard-earned gaming dollar, you will notice that this is the exact same bet you are making when you place the 6 or the 8. But those place bets pay 7 to 6 when they win! So the house is offering you two ways to make the same bet, and offering different payoffs for them. Whenever you see some hapless fellow placing money on the Big 6 instead of just placing the 6, just look up at the fancy, glittery chandeliers and remember that guys just like him are the ones paying for all that glitter.

It was at something like 43 cents a share.

It's fluctuated a little since I've bought it. I like having it due to the fact that Datek shows me these collosal gains and losses in the pie chart they present me with. For instance, it's up five cents today. So I have a 15% gain on it. They can't find a color green enough to show that sort of dramatic increase.

Course, yesterday, I think it was down a few cents, and the red section of the pie made it look like I had put a nice doughy crust around sand from Mars.

They are working on a cure for AIDS. So if that works out, I guess I will profit. But not too much, as I am being a vag about it -- even if they suddenly cure it and the thing goes to $50 a share I would only get $4,000. I should have bought like 800 shares, I guess. Oh, well. It could be down 25% tomorrow, so maybe I'll take the plunge then.