Economic Slowdown: This Time It's Different

Forget the dotcom collapse. The first real slowdown of the New Economy has arrived. And it comes with its own set of rules

The latest poster child for dotcom misery, in case you're still keeping score at home, is eToys. Since the Grinch stole its Christmas season, it has been hunting for a buyer or a merger partner--anything to avoid bankruptcy. Employees are bracing for layoffs as the site unloads toys like Sing 'N Strum Barneys and Talking Wimzies for as much as 75% off. And the stock? Down from a 52-week high of $31.50 to about 20[cents]. Some folks have been taking perverse pleasure in seeing the dotcoms crash and burn. "Is anyone else morbidly watching this stock like you stare at a...

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