Cloud Nine provides its clients with a monthly newsletter that offers recommendations about stocks to buy or sell. Doug Layton, Cloud Nines president, has asked your opinion on whether dot-com stocks might be good investments for the future. He specifically mentioned Google, eBay, Amazon.com, and Yahoo!, but he said you could suggest other companies. Doug wants you to do some Internet research to learn more about these Web-based companies and their prospects. You can use a search engine or start by visiting the Web sites of publications such as Forbes, Fortune Magazine, Business Week, or The Wall Street Journal, among others.

To perform this task:

1. Find out how the stock market works and how stocks are valued.

2. Research the Web to find IT companies whose stocks are traded publicly.

3. Choose two companies and pretend to buy $5,000 of its stocks.

4. Explain why did you choose those companies?

5. What is the current price per share? and what is the total value of investment per stock?

6. Report each week to your class.