Lambert and BaNosser---Agreed and good postings.
posted on
May 15, 2008 07:45PM
I've watched Nucor Steel and US Steel both go from 52 week lows in January to 52 week highs by April. For US Steel it's the highest S/P in the companies history. Now that's really saying something. Two rock solid companies dismissed as a pour choice of investment, commodity stocks past their prime. So far Nucor has returned 100% in less than 5 months and US Steel had a 138% return. I knew their industry was seeing solid improvements and price increases were finally working there way through the supply chain yet I left my money tied up in PTSC. The whole time many, many people on this board insisting investors, "Don't sell, hang in there". Constantly telling everyone around them the "watershed moment" was right around the corner. I've heard that pom pom speech for 2+years. Plenty of it has come from the company or it's largest shareholder. Whether the conspiracy theorist are right or wrong really isn't the point. The manner in which PTSC has communicated through this ENTIRE process, post/pre NDA, is the primary reason for the poisonous atmosphere. If you want to know what reality is take a hard look to the upper right, $.295 tells you exactly what the investment community thinks at the moment. For all the people selling/pushing your theories on others, why don't you give it a rest. The last time I looked for "Theories" on the Order Type at Fidelity I couldn't find it as a buy/sell option.
I've talked with two persons who are actively involved with NDA's. One of them is the co-founder of a $3 billion dollar company. Let me say that neither agrees completely with the thoughts floating on this board. Both had the same opinion that while the NDA must be carefully followed and observed, it can't put investors in a position of weakness one way or the other. The uniqueness of being a public company, in the age of Sarbanes Oxley, is the treacherous waters that must be navigated without hurting customers or investors. What's happened thus far certainly has been a message delivered by Patriot seeming to imply that settlement issues are resolved and leans heavily towards protecting their customers. If they are in fact deceiving investors while protecting their customers, the validity behind it would certainly be questionable. It allows those on the outside to face uncertainty with their investment while those possessing the information have the choice to sleep well or sweat. At the moment most of us on the outside are forced to sweat and guess. I don't consider that fair play. The advantage in this game so far has been on TPL, PTSC and the customers side. The retail investors have been left to their own demise. How people can't understand or question that is amazing. What will everyone do if the 4th quarter numbers come out and there's nothing special to look at? Dutton, the very company hired by PTSC, called their client out on the carpet, crucifying them over the issue of transparency. Those guys may not always get the investment picks right but I feel most certain auditing and financial analysis are well within their area of expertise. I'm sure this isn't the first company they've covered that deals in NDA's. Watching the price tick down is starting to remind me of NMKT. I kept ignoring the obvious while hoping for the best. We need concrete information soon, not more long term strategy PR releases. All IMO.