VANCOUVER, B.C., July 30, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- With both the Dow and TSX indices up more than 20% since last fall, leading financial website StockHouse has found that many stock market survivors are optimistic that the three-year bear market may finally be over.
A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://media.primezone.com/prs/?pkgid=633
StockHouse recently asked investors to share their stories about "how they survived the last three years in the markets" and found that many are looking forward to better times ahead.
Kim Hazelwood from Fort St. John in Northern B.C. - along with eight other women in an investment club called 'Women Of Wealth' - began investing at the height of the bull market three years ago. Hazelwood said they survived through "shear endurance."
"Our portfolio is still alive and kicking," she said. "Some up, some down. We have even reached thirty plus percent on a few. We're very excited for the year so we can use what we have learned and watch our portfolio grow."
Charles Fisher, an insurance actuary from Scarsdale, N.Y., said he survived the last three years by focusing on junior oil and gas companies and taking a contrarian approach to investing.
"I concentrated on 'value investing' and listened to people on message boards on out-of-favor stocks," Fisher said. "Over the next year, I'm hopeful that the price of oil will remain high (and) high natural gas prices will mean good cash flow."
The StockHouse contest invited hundreds of thousands of StockHouse members to submit up to 100 words describing their experience over the last three years in the markets.
Hazelwood and Fisher were selected as the two most compelling survival stories. Both investors will now be featured in a national print and web advertising campaign for StockHouse and will receive a trip for two to Vancouver, British Columbia. The trip includes:
-- Return airfare for two people from within Canada or the United States
-- 7-nights stay for two in a deluxe room at the Marriott Vancouver
Pinnacle
-- 7-day rental of a sport utility vehicle from Avis Rent A Car
-- Rounds at the prestigious Nicklaus North and Furry Creek Golf Courses
-- Souvenir poster of the StockHouse advertisement
"We wanted to use real investors in our advertising campaign because they are the ones that make the site successful and they are the ones that provide the unique feedback that makes StockHouse so popular," said Leslie Landes, president of Stockgroup Information Systems Inc. "We appreciate the response that we got our StockHouse members."
About Stockgroup and StockHouse
Stockgroup Information Systems Inc. is a financial media and technology company. It is a leading provider of private labeled financial software and content solutions to media, corporate and financial services companies. Stockgroup employs proprietary technologies that enable its clients to provide financial data streams and news combined with cutting-edge fundamental, technical, productivity and disclosure tools to their customers, shareholders and employees at a fraction of the cost of traditional internal methods. Stockgroup is also a provider of Public Company Disclosure and Awareness Products for publicly traded companies. Its financial web sites, including www.stockhouse.com, www.stockhouse.ca and www.smallcapcenter.com, are state-of-the-art online research centers for the investment community. To find out more about Stockgroup (OTCBB:SWEB) (TSX Venture Exchange:SWB), visit our website at www.stockgroup.com
This release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21B of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, goals, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be 'forward-looking statements. 'Forward-looking statements are based on expectations, estimates and projections at the time the statements are made that involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those presently anticipated. Forward-looking statements in this action may be identified through the use of words such as 'expects, ''will, ''anticipates, ''estimates, ''believes, 'or statements indicating certain actions 'may, ''could, 'or 'might' occur.
This release has neither been approved or disapproved by the TSX.