From Business Week to The New York Times, analysts of every ilk have been taking it on the chin for making bad calls. Everyone from Wall Street watchdogs to Main Street investors have been lamenting the fact that nary an analyst makes a sell call - even when a stock is tanking precipitously. The dangers of missed calls are not simply missed buys, but missed sells as well. Analysts recently sat back as Dell plummeted to a 52-week low, all the while issuing non-committal "hold" calls that left plenty of investors holding the bag - empty bags. Conversely, number creep has driven prices sky high (think Qualcomm: up 1800 percent in 1999), largely because analysts are striving to reach conclusions that will make them stand out in the crowd. So what's an individual investor to do? Follow every word of the latest talking head on CNBC with baited breath? Or, as a recent Business Week article (4/2/01): "do exactly the opposite of what they say, and you'll make out like a bandit." Eric Shkolnik agrees with the latter assessment. Founder of marketperform.com, Shkolnik argues that there are ways for investors to make sense of - and profit from - what analysts are really saying. When Buy Means Sell helps investors figure out what each call means, what is important, and how to keep track of analyst calls and ratings. Using a proven system, the author shows that there is a better way to build profitable portfolios. Packed with insights and a fresh approach, When Buy Means Sell explains the convoluted rating system that financial institutions use to rate stocks. The author reveals what he and Marketperform have discovered: that, more often than not, "sell" really means "buy." Packed with revealing information that puts investing back in the hands of investors, readers will find essential insights into making the most of analyst calls and similar information, including: Who the real "prophets" are - and which analysts tread dangerously close to conflict of interest when they support the companies their firms are underwriting; The marketperform.com strategy: asset allocation, sector allocation, and basket technology; How to take advantage of powerful information available to investors; With more frequent - and louder - complaints that analysts are merely out to grab headlines, When Buy Means Sell comes at a perfect time. Investors who look to its insights and strategies will find new tools and a new approach to really beating the street at its own game.