Dueling Fools
November 11, 1998
We Can Merck It Out
Merck price (11/10/98): $146 13/16
If last week's Duel on Johnson & Johnson <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: JNJ)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: JNJ)") end if %> left you hooked, it's time to bring out fellow pharmaceutical giant and managed care specialist Merck <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: MRK)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: MRK)") end if %> out on stage.
Don't we all love Merck? Nope. Life doesn't work out that way. This week Paul Larson (TMF Parlay) and Chris Rugaber (TMF RFK) are bull and bear, respectively, on the prospects of Merck. So, open wide, we're hitting you with a double dosage this week.
And don't miss this week's Duel Flashback, where we take a look back at one of our more popular bouts -- and one all the more timely with Bill Gates in the news -- the Microsoft <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: MSFT)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: MSFT)") end if %> Duel.
You Get to Vote!
Once you've read the arguments and the rebuttals, it's your time to cast your vote. We'll tabulate results each week and revisit them from time to time to see whether you were right! As always, we invite you to join us in the Dueling Fools Message board to continue the duel.
[Any suggestions, comments, praise, or flames, please send them along to the Dueling Fools Team.]
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The Bull... Merck is a company that has a glorious history and an even brighter future. In fact, the company manufactured the first dose of penicillin in the United States and developed techniques that made mass production of the first antibiotics possible. Dr. Selman Waksman, who won the Nobel Prize for discovering streptomycin, once said that, "Without Merck, most, if not all, antibiotics that we isolated would have remained bibliographic curiosities." There is no doubt that Merck is a company that is making the world a better place. Continue... |
The Bear... Merck is a great company, but like a veteran athlete it is past its prime and living off nostalgia. Its past performance has been fantastic, but that's exactly what limits its future: everything has to fall in place in order for Merck to just keep up. Continue... |
Results for last week's Johnson & Johnson Duel
| Answer | Percentage |
| I can't make up my mind | 4% |
| TMF Jeff's Bull argument |
62% |
| TMF Panic's Bear argument |
15% |
| They were both excellent |
16% |
| They were both lame |
2% |