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Dot Com Bubble

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Dot.com Bubble
Christopher Smirnes
Professor: Dr. D

The Dot.com bubble, otherwise known as the Dot.com boom was one of the most significant events in the Internets history. It brought upon millions upon millions of dollars in losses and many of these start up companies never even made a profit. The business world was flipped upside down, and a whole new world was opening up to entrepreneurs. However, since this was such a new technology, as with anything new, there are always risks. The dot.com bubble can be broken down into three different stages, the investment stage, the failure stage, and the recover stage.

It all started in the early 1990’s when the Internet truly got its start. During this time period, everything was very slow and many people did not buy computers due to the extremely high cost. By the mid 90’s everything changed, and the world was going nuts over the possibilities of the Internet. Businesses and investors were part of that group that jumped right on in. With the ability to reach millions of customers with click of a button, the Internet certainly has a huge draw. Everyone was trying to get into the game and investors were dumping tons of money into all of these companies that had to essentially start from scratch.

It was during this influx of cash pouring in that everything seemed perfect and profits would just go through the roof. It seemed as if everyone had a domain name and being able to access people globally was finally a reality. Technology funds were booming and even the NASDAQ had doubled its value. Interest rates were at a historic low, which were an even greater incentive to get onto the Internet bandwagon. This finally allowed the average Joe to have a real shot at owning their own company.

Venture capital is essentially what made this time period seem like the golden age for many. Once each start-up company offered the initial public offering (IPO) of their stock, they were able to essentially pay all of their expenses and then some, without any profits at all. Because all of this was so new, companies we know and trust today such as Morningstar that rate the value of these companies and their stocks, had trouble coming up with a value for these start up businesses. This resulted in a false sense of security for the investors who essentially blindly invested in these companies.

By the late 1990’s, everything was doing so well that the economists were starting to jump on board. The NASDAQ literally went from 600 points, to 5,000 in 4 years. Economists were citing things like, the “New economy”, and that recessions would only be a thing of the past. Many of these economists actually believe that these start up companies technical and financial data did not even hold any importance. This let to many crazy theories, and a future many thought was set into stone.

The reality of the startup costs and costs to maintain these businesses soon came to a head when no one was making a profit. What they did not realize was theastronomical cost of start-up and somehow keeping prices lower the brick and mortar businesses. After all, who would want to buy something that costs more online, not to mention having to pay for shipping, the just go to the store and pick it up. The costs to run the companies and ship all these items far exceeded what was needed to make a profit. Sadly, these companies did not realize this until it was too late.

It was then in early 2000 when the bubble essentially burst and everything came crashing down hill. The NASDAQ crashed, plummeting from 5,000 to 800 points by 2002, only two years! Over five trillion dollars were lost during this time period. Investors simply gave up because they saw that there were no profits being made. Thousands upon thousands of people not only lost their jobs, but also their life savings. Companies such a Pets.com, WebVan, e-Toys, kozmo.com and Go.com each raised well over 200 million dollars, all failed.

Amidst all of this mess, however, all was not lost. Many companies that held on persevered and became a huge success. Amazon is one of the greatest success stories. They did not make a profit for much of their start up time. They made it through the whole rise and decline, and today they are the top distributor of goods on the Internet. Other companies such as Buy.com, E-bay, Yahoo, and pay-pal all stood the test off time and presently rate top in their website categories.

Today, as it my seem we have recovered from this giant bubble burst, we still have not even come close. As of November 2012, the NASDAQ is at 2,926 points, almost half of its peak of 5,408 in March of 2000. Many business are doing great as the successfully navigate the e-commerce world, and apple directly to the customer. Amazon in particular keeps coming our with successfully ideas such as Prime, which is an inexpensive, shipping based program that has helped Amazon grow even stronger. It is only with perseverance and quick thinking that companies that survived the Dot.com bubble will profit and continue to grow today.

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