First American Scientific Corp. (fka FASC)

[sunspotter]

"However, when looking at the whole picture, ten years ago the entire market was inflated, and FASC at 10 cents could hardly be justified."

Let's compare FASC with the whole market for those ten years then:

S&P 500:


http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/advchart/frames/frames.asp?show=&insttype=Stock&symb=fasc&time=13&startdate=1%2F4%2F1999&enddate=7%2F27%2F2011&freq=1&compidx=SP500&comptemptext=&comp=none&ma=0&maval=9&uf=0&lf=1&lf2=0&lf3=0&type=2&style=320&size=2&timeFrameToggle=false&compareToToggle=false&indicatorsToggle=false&chartStyleToggle=false&state=12&x=58&y=14

DJIA:

http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/advchart/frames/frames.asp?show=&insttype=Stock&symb=fasc&time=13&startdate=1%2F4%2F1999&enddate=7%2F27%2F2011&freq=1&compidx=DJIA&comptemptext=&comp=none&ma=0&maval=9&uf=0&lf=1&lf2=0&lf3=0&type=2&style=320&size=2&timeFrameToggle=false&compareToToggle=false&indicatorsToggle=false&chartStyleToggle=false&state=12&x=35&y=10

NASDAQ:

http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/advchart/frames/frames.asp?show=&insttype=Stock&symb=fasc&time=13&startdate=1%2F4%2F1999&enddate=7%2F27%2F2011&freq=1&compidx=NASDAQ&comptemptext=&comp=none&ma=0&maval=9&uf=0&lf=1&lf2=0&lf3=0&type=2&style=320&size=2&timeFrameToggle=false&compareToToggle=false&indicatorsToggle=false&chartStyleToggle=false&state=12&x=57&y=6

The fact is that any index fund - or even stuffing your money under a mattress - would have given you a better return than FASC by at least an order of magnitude.

To understand that's true, you only have to consider FASC has lost value, whereas all the indices have increased and the "money under mattress" strategy has only cost the interest payments you might have received for those ten years.

The moral? Better to put your money in sacks under the bed than in FASC stock, as many people more qualified than I have pointed out over the years.