Internet stocks surged higher after the Federal Reserve’s Open Market
Committee raised the federal funds and discount rate one-quarter percent.
The recent slump in tech-related issues and positive reaction today
demonstrates that investors had anticipated such a move for quite some time.
In addition, two IPOs boosted Internet issues higher.
internet.com’s Internet Stock Index was up 43.72, or 4.46 percent, to
1,022.91, the Nasdaq Composite rose 101.70 to 4711.70 and the Dow Jones
industrial average, supported by strength in financial stocks, climbed 227.10
to 10907.34.
Caldera Systems (CALD)
priced 5 million shares at $14 each with lead underwriter Robertson
Stephens. Shares of the Linux software e-tailer jumped 15-7/16, or 110
percent, to 29-7/16.
Snowball.com (SNOW)
priced 6.25 million shares at $11 each with lead underwriter Goldman Sachs.
Shares rose 4-5/16 to 15-5/16. Snowball is a portal that targets “Generation
I” (13-30 yr olds), the Internet generation.
E-commerce plays got good news Monday when a committee advising Congress on
e-commerce issues approved a recommendation that would not implement any new
taxes on Internet purchases. However, the group failed to approve the
proposal by a two-thirds majority which means it will not be in the official
report set to be submitted to Congress in late April.
Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN)
was up 8-3/16 to 72-3/8, eBay Inc. (EBAY)
rocketed 18-3/8 higher to 214-1/2 and Ticketmaster-Citysearch (TMCS)
added 5/8 to 26-1/2.
Ask Jeeves Inc. (ASKJ)
rose 9-1/8 to 71. US Bancorp Piper Jaffray Tuesday initiated coverage of the
stock with a “strong buy.” The firm expects Ask Jeeves to hit $193 in the
next year.
Macromedia Inc. (MACR)
gained 3-7/64 to 83-7/64. The maker of Web design software will be added to
the S&P MidCap 400 index.
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