Dueling Fools
May 26, 1999
Win or Lucent
Lucent price (5/25/99): $55 3/8
Does this week's Duel ring a bell? It should, with $30 billion in annual sales and growing Lucent Technologies <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: LU)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: LU)") end if %> is no baby bell. The AT&T <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: T)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: T)") end if %> spin-off is a Fortune 500 telco tech giant.
But does every call come through? This week we have a pair of connected Fools who can't come to terms with what the future holds for Lucent shareholders. Yi-Hsin Chang (TMF Puck) is bullish. Chris Rugaber (TMF RFK) is not. Tie a pair of Dixie cups to a piece of thread, this Duel is about to begin.
When you're done don't miss this week's Duel Flashback where we take a look back at Yi-Hsin's Costco <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: COST)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: COST)") end if %> loving ways.
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... Telecommunications and networking equipment maker Lucent Technologies has been called an "Old World" company in a "New World" environment centered on the Internet. But the company has, in fact, transformed itself into a "New World" company right on the cutting-edge of technology and is growing more like a start-up than some lumbering established giant. Continue... |
The Bear... Lucent Technologies' stock has performed stunningly since its spin-off from AT&T in September 1996, with an annualized return of approximately 90%. The company has a lot going for it: its research labs have produced Nobel-prize winners in physics, and in 1998 it earned over $30 billion in revenues, far ahead of rivals like Cisco, at $8.5 billion, and Nortel Networks <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: NT)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: NT)") end if %>, at $17.58 billion. Continue... |
Results for last week's Hasbro Duel
| Answer | Percentage |
| I can't make up my mind |
4% |
| TMF Seymor's Bull argument |
66% |
| TMF Edible's Bear argument |
19% |
| They were both excellent |
10% |
| They were both lame |
1% |