Counting chickens before they've been conceived

1. You expect income to increase sharply, and continue. Your payback period may then drop (next year to 100 years, a couple of years later to 30).

2. You don't care for the $20m anyway, you hope to sell it for $12b next week to Symantec. (Hey, it worked for Skype already :-) )

I am not saying either is likely, just that P/E is not what drives (at least my view of) investment, but (current P)/(future E). The Price is a done deal. But I am not really interested in their last years income, from which I do not get a cent, but in what I expect/hope will be their *next* year's income. I am buying a share in their future, not their past anyway (I hope no unsettled lawsuits turn up, but I can hedge against that).

Slightly off-the-mark, but what use is a new-born baby?

--
Sanjeev, who is still waiting for his $8.5b deal, but has lots of free advice for everyone.