Press Release: February 8, 2000

WR Hambrecht + Co Expands Equity Research Coverage to Include eMarkets and Portals

Derek Brown, former Volpe Brown Whelan vice president and senior analyst, to lead eMarkets and Portals research group

SAN FRANCISCO CA , February 8, 2000—WR Hambrecht + Co, the online investment bank, today launched an equity research group focused on eMarkets and Portals. Heading the group is veteran Internet analyst Derek Brown, who recently joined WRH+Co from Volpe Brown Whelan, where he was a vice president and a senior analyst.

WR Hambrecht’s eMarkets group will target emerging online marketplaces, including companies in both the business-to-consumer and business-to-business sectors that leverage the Internet’s democratization of information, global reach, and network effect to connect buyers with sellers. The team will also focus on Internet Portals, the primary on-ramps to the Web and home bases for consumers around the world.

"Our expansion into equity research in eMarkets and Internet Portals continues our firm-wide focus on dynamic opportunities presented by the Web. Derek’s understanding of these markets and years of experience tracking these firms allows us to deliver insightful information to our clients," said Keith Bachman, Director of Equity Research at WR Hambrecht + Co.

With the addition of eMarkets and Portals research, the firm’s total coverage extends into 10 sectors. The firm already tracks companies in the following sectors: eCommerce, eMedia, eSoftware, eHealth, Open Source, eServices, eTailing/Consumer Brands, eLearning, and eNetwork Infrastructure.

WR Hambrecht + Co offers all its research reports free and real-time at