Replies to post #70342 on Biotech Values

[medchal]

"Any company that pays for analyst reports is one I would exclude from consideration on the long side."

I hope that isn't a very serious comment. If so, I think it's rather ill considered. Do you ever buy bonds? New issues? If so, do you look at the ratings on the bonds you buy? Almost every bond rating on a new issue is bought and paid for by the issuer (and that issuer pays a lot more for that initial rating than than NEOP pays Dutton in a year, by the way).

You (and I) might feel it legitimate to ignore, or discount, a purchased rating, or to ignore hype from a public relations firm, but to say, "That's it--I won't buy AMZN because the company hired a public relations firm" [insert here the trading symbol of any large cap company you like, because they almost all hire public relations firms], is pretty much off the wall, and even sounds a little sanctimonious.