I'm woried that it's because they are spooked about wallstreet's shady accounting practices. I mean, that is what accountants do, try to put spin on the numbers. If they fear that apple could come under the scope, they might sell. I'm not sure if this would be insider trading or not.
Doodz! Searioosly, the friggin super-doodz are getting a rad gig together, man! They're gonna put a giant supeerconducting magnet underneath NYC and spin in, reducing the local gravitational pull by 1% and all that shite!
Or perhaps it's simply that Apple's stock has managed to finally climb back to the price it was at after it first fell from the 50s. Anyone who bought Apple stock at that time thinking it was a bargain and would rise back into the 50s may be finally getting smart and cashing out with either no change or a small loss... ESPECIALLY if the price of the stock is likely to go down again anytime soon.
That's what I'd be doing is I was an alarmist... or had a majority of my money tied up in AAPL. Sometimes it's just economics.
It's called diversification my friends - if you had 10 million in stock options in 1 company, so like 99.99% of your net worth is in 1 company, you'd sell too.
It's a smart financial move, nothing more. If they new something material about Apple, like a potential spin-off, they would be prohibited from trading any stock.
Apple's been up there in price (52 week high is 26.17, according to quicken.com, and closed at 21.40 on Friday), and in mid-May almost hit their 52 week high. It'd be really hard not to take some profit off the table if I were them.
Yes, and diversification has been the word of advice post Enron. Lot's of caution about being heavily invested in any one company just because it's the one you work for/believe in etc. It is tempting to speculate however.
The main reasons for the current stock sales of options granted are as follows:
1). To create cash via the option and to diversify holdings. This is very normal.
2). Possible estate planning (taxes).
3). Pending new federal laws as to how options are granted, how they are carried on the books of the company granting the options (current expense or future expense) <img src="graemlins/surprised.gif" border="0" alt="[Surprised]" />
4). New GAP accounting rules may require an immediate hit on earnings, i.e. expense now, so Steve has told everyone to lighten their load now as these new rules may go into effect on June 30th.
Comments
Ah, well. I won't crap on a seriously misplaced and STOOPID thread any longer.
Apple execs are selling options for the reason I sold my options at the last company I worked for: to get da money.
Don't be so paranoid.
TING5
That's what I'd be doing is I was an alarmist... or had a majority of my money tied up in AAPL. Sometimes it's just economics.
-Kell
I think we'll know sooner or later what all the fuss is about and will probably simply amount to nothing earth shattering.
It's a smart financial move, nothing more. If they new something material about Apple, like a potential spin-off, they would be prohibited from trading any stock.
Apple's been up there in price (52 week high is 26.17, according to quicken.com, and closed at 21.40 on Friday), and in mid-May almost hit their 52 week high. It'd be really hard not to take some profit off the table if I were them.
[ 06-08-2002: Message edited by: canadianmacguy ]</p>
[QB]It's called diversification my friends
Yes, and diversification has been the word of advice post Enron. Lot's of caution about being heavily invested in any one company just because it's the one you work for/believe in etc. It is tempting to speculate however.
1). To create cash via the option and to diversify holdings.
2). Possible estate planning (taxes).
3). Pending new federal laws as to how options are granted, how they are carried on the books of the company granting the options (current expense or future expense) <img src="graemlins/surprised.gif" border="0" alt="[Surprised]" />
4). New GAP accounting rules may require an immediate hit on earnings, i.e. expense now, so Steve has told everyone to lighten their load now as these new rules may go into effect on June 30th.
<strong>I think we just found out why all the Apple execs sold off their stock in a hurry.</strong><hr></blockquote>
No, that's illegal insider trading, besides most of the price drop was caused by Intel, Oracle, Lucent etc (which is not illegal trading).
I still think it was just stock options maturing - they probably had to register the sale 3 months back too.
I'm sure SEC will check it out anyway, and some whiney bad investors will start a class action...