Amazon with its one-click technology was a terrific idea. I'd expect it to be around a long time, in one form or another. In bull markets, which raise all boats, no one cares what awfulness lies in the murk below. The Amex Internet Index of 51 stocks is off by 58 percent. In bear markets, all the surprises are usually bad ones.
Bear markets love dedicated dippers.
They pull you in, then chew off your head. Lisa Rapuano, director of research for the Legg Mason funds, recently ramped up her position in Amazon but thinks Yahoo and eBay are still too expensive. Here's a lesson in lower math. And that's just to break even. Jane Bryant Quinn covers personal finance for The Washington Post.