SOHU.COM -News! - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

[derhaase]

"Accumulate" Sina <SINA.O>, Sohu <SOHU.O> -Merrill

HONG KONG, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Merrill Lynch initiated coverage on Monday of Nasdaq-listed Chinese Internet portals Sina.com and Sohu.com with intermediate-term accumulate recommendations.

The firm`s internet analyst David Cui gave Sina.com a long-term buy rating and Sohu.com a long-term accumulate recommendation in a research report.

Cui said he valued Sina.com at between US$15.80 to US$29.60 per share based on comparables and discounted cash flow analysis, with key risks being its multi-market strategy and a relatively high cost structure. Sina.com edged up 4.2 percent to end at US$9.375 on Friday.

Cui valued Sohu.com at US$7.50 to US$21.20 per share, with risks relating to integration of acquisitions and its relatively weak financial position being his key concerns for the company.

Sohu.com, which recently acquired rival portal ChinaRen.com, skidded 18 percent to close at US$4 on Friday.

REUTERS
Rtr 08:26 10-09-00

[derhaase]

Beijing Starbucks Customers to Enjoy Free Web Access

SOHU.com to Place Computers and Provide Online
Services in Selected Starbucks Stores

BEIJING, Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Starbucks customers in Beijing can now enjoy their favorite coffee beverage and surf the web for free at selected Starbucks stores in the Chinese capital. SOHU.com (Nasdaq: SOHU), the most popular Internet portal and online community center for Mainland China, will provide free Internet access in thirteen Starbucks stores in Beijing.

In addition to free Internet access, the SOHU.com magazine will also be available in the Starbucks stores. The magazine will soon be published in a bi-lingual version called SOHU World.

"Starbucks takes great pride in enriching its customers` in-store experience," said David Sun, CEO of Beijing Mei Da Coffee Co. Ltd, a licensee of Starbucks Coffee International since 1999. "We are excited about this unique, strategic alliance with SOHU.com as both our companies are intensely focused on serving customers and providing first-class products and services where and when they need it."

The alliance will heighten customer service and convenience in the following ways on computers supplied by SOHU.com

*Starbucks customers will have access to SOHU.com in selected Starbucks
stores in Beijing, China;
*Starbucks customers and SOHU.com users will have seamless access to the
SOHU.com web site (www.sohu.com), and to the Starbucks web site
(www.starbucks.com) from within the stores.


"The combination of Starbucks and SOHU.com is a natural one, as is browsing the Net and enjoying a cup of coffee," said Charles Zhang, president and CEO of SOHU.com. "The similarities between the customers of Starbucks and SOHU.com make this alliance a value-enhancing opportunity for both companies. Our cooperation will greatly strengthen the brand presence of both companies within the growing Internet community in Beijing." About SOHU.com

SOHU.com is one of mainland China`s most recognized and established Internet brands and indispensable to the daily life of millions of Chinese who use the portal for their e-mail, home page, chat, messaging, news, search, browsing and shopping. Apart from continuous product and services development, SOHU.com also concentrates its efforts on making the Internet ubiquitously available, whether in the office, at home or on the road. In September, the company agreed to acquire ChinaRen.com, the most popular youth community web site in China. As of this release page views per day for the combined company have reached 49 million and registered users total 8.0 million. SOHU.com, established by Dr. Charles Zhang, one of China`s Internet pioneers, is in its fourth year of operation. About Starbucks (Beijing)

Beijing Mei Da Coffee Co. Ltd, a licensee of Starbucks Coffee International, currently operates 18 Starbucks retail locations in Beijing, China. Starbucks Coffee International is a wholly owned subsidiary of Starbucks Coffee Company (Nasdaq: SBUX), the leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty coffee in the world. In addition to Beijing, Starbucks has retail locations in Japan, Hawaii, Singapore, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Malaysia, Kuwait, South Korea, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates (Dubai), Qatar, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Australia. Safe Harbor Statement

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, SOHU.com historical and future losses, limited operating history, uncertain regulatory landscape in the People`s Republic of China, fluctuations in quarterly operating results and the company`s reliance on online advertising sales for substantially all of its revenues. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in SOHU.com`s prospectus and in its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.


/CONTACT: Caroline Straathof, [e-mail], or Beilei Zheng, [e-mail], both of SOHU.com, [phone]; or Robin Lutchansky, [e-mail], or Dan Lutchansky, [e-mail], both of Lutchansky Communications, for SOHU.com, 408-938-9050, or 408-278-7820/

[derhaase]

Forbes Magazine Global Edition Ranks Chinese Portal SOHU.com Among World`s Best Small Companies

BEIJING, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese Internet portal SOHU.com (Nasdaq: SOHU) has been listed among the 300 Best Small Companies for 2001 in the world renowned business publication Forbes Magazine. In its international edition FORTUNE GLOBAL, which hit the newsstands in Asia this week, SOHU.com was selected, along with five other Mainland Chinese companies, to join the exclusive ranks of the 300 best publicly listed companies with a market capitalization of US$500 million or less.

For the second year in a row, FORBES GLOBAL has published a list of the top-300 small companies in the global economy. Forbes based its selection on the expert opinions of money managers, securities analysts and entrepreneurs around the world. Using strict selection criteria, companies had to have a sound financial history or be expected to emerge as important, profitable players in the next year or two.

"These small companies hold out the promise of becoming very large companies. We can`t predict how stock markets will value them next month or next year. We can say this: Dynamism is all about growth and profits; in our opinion these 300 are among the best the world has to offer," FORBES GLOBAL writes in its October 30th edition.

On October 10, SOHU.com ranked first in the largest independent annual media survey in China, conducted by Sinomonitor International. The results of the China Media and Marketing Survey (CMMS) indicated that half of China`s booming Internet community chose SOHU.com as the most preferred first stop portal destination. SOHU.com ranked first in the overall list of most frequently visited sites and scored the Number One position in all sub-rankings by age and gender, reaffirming SOHU.com`s position as the leading Internet brand in China.

Sinomonitor International is the pre-eminent market monitoring company in China providing research analysis for leading multinational corporations. The CMMS was launched in 1997 in cooperation with the China Economic Monitoring and Analysis Center, affiliated with the State Statistical Bureau, the official government agency for statistical research.

"It`s been an Olympic week for SOHU.com. Topping the ranks in the Sinomonitor survey, a standard bearer for the media marketing industry, and getting an award from the influential and respected Forbes magazine is like receiving gold medals at the Olympics. It`s extremely gratifying to know that internationally recognized authorities reward all of the hard work we have put into building the No.1 Internet company in China," said Dr. Charles Zhang, president and CEO of SOHU.com. About SOHU.com

SOHU.com is one of mainland China`s most recognized and established Internet brands and indispensable to the daily life of millions of Chinese who use the portal for their e-mail, home page, chat, messaging, news, search, browsing and shopping. Apart from continuous product and services development, SOHU.com also concentrates its efforts on making the Internet ubiquitously available, whether in the office, at home or on the road. In September the company agreed to acquire ChenRen.com, the most popular youth community web site in China. As of this release, page views per day for the combined company have reached 50 million and registered users total 8.0 million. SOHU.com, established by Dr. Charles Zhang, one of China`s Internet pioneers, is in its fourth year of operation. Safe Harbor Statement

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, SOHU.com historical and future losses, limited operating history, uncertain regulatory landscape in the People`s Republic of China, fluctuations in quarterly operating results and the company`s reliance on online advertising sales for substantially all of its revenues. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in SOHU.com`s prospectus and in its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.


/CONTACT: Caroline Straathof, [e-mail], or Beilei Zheng, [e-mail], both of SOHU.com, [phone]; or Robin Lutchansky, 408-938-9050, or [e-mail], or Dan Lutchansky, 408-278-7820, or [e-mail], both of Lutchansky Communications, for SOHU.com/