Unlike Most of Tech, eBay's Still Got the Believers

While investors at the Merrill Lynch Internet Conference in New York digested the news of Yahoo!'s (YHOO Quote) earnings shortfall and the exit of its chief executive Wednesday, online auctioneer eBay (EBAY Quote) offered a tonic for weary tech investors by reiterating its growth plans and saying it had yet to see the economic slowdown affect its business.

eBay's presentation, which was delayed by 15 minutes or so while people huddled around a television to watch the Yahoo! announcement, revealed a company largely unaffected by both the tech carnage on Wall Street and the slowing economy.

The company repeated its plans to be in 25 international markets by 2005, and said it will increase the integration of its fixed-price site, Half.com, which it purchased last year. eBay said it was also comfortable with is past financial guidance. According to First Call/Thomson Financial, the consensus among analysts is for the company to earn 37 cents a share in 2001. ...