AltaVista Delivers Financial Data From Hoover's and Zacks; New Strategic Alliances to Provide Comprehensive and Up-To-Date Investment Information through AltaVista Finance Channel

Business Wire, Sept 9, 1999

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 9, 1999--

AltaVista Company, the premier new media and commerce network and top 10 Internet site at http://www.altavista.com, has formed strategic alliances with market-leading financial information providers Hoover's Inc. (Nasdaq:HOOV) and Zacks Investment Research.

Both organizations will integrate their content with AltaVista Finance, a channel that provides fast, comprehensive access to financial information and services that allow users to make the most of their investing dollars at http://finance.altavista.com.

"These strategic alliances further fulfill our promise by offering the most robust content in the online finance category," said Ross Levinsohn, vice president and general manager of new media for AltaVista Company. "Now, users can obtain through AltaVista the additional financial data that is critically important when evaluating investment opportunities and decisions."

Hoover's Inc.

Hoover's, a Web-based provider of business information and the publisher of Hoover's Online, now provides AltaVista users with accurate and timely information about the world's largest, most influential and fastest-growing public and private enterprises. AltaVista Finance integrates Hoover's Company Capsules, which contain company descriptions, financials and key competitors for approximately 14,000 public and private enterprises worldwide. It also features Hoover's Industry Snapshots, covering current events, the history and glossary of terms among 45 industries.

"Hoover's has achieved a reputation for providing accurate, relevant and reliable business information to consumer markets via the Web," said Patrick Spain, Hoover's CEO. "Through our alliance with AltaVista, Hoover's will continue its goal to bring the highest quality business information to new audiences through the millions of AltaVista users."

Zacks Investment Research

Zacks Investment Research, a full-service quantitative research firm, provides earnings estimates, research and fundamental data from 245 Wall Street brokerage firms to AltaVista users. Zacks offers relevant financial information designed to give all levels of investors the tools necessary to make well-informed investment decisions. When users enter a ticker symbol on AltaVista Finance, they are able to access company information compiled by Zacks, including a Company Snapshot, Detailed Research and Research Abstracts.

"Zacks' commitment to providing timely, accurate estimates and reported earnings data has revolutionized the way the finance industry delivers information to investors," said Evan Rullman, executive vice president, strategic partnerships at Zacks Investment Research. "By offering this information to AltaVista's user base, we are continuing our mission to provide individual investors with access to research information previously available only to institutional investors."

AltaVista Finance Channel

AltaVista Finance delivers the most relevant, personalized financial information to users with speed, convenience and ease-of-use. AltaVista Finance offers one-click access to an array of financial information, including stock quotes, portfolio tracking, market information, investment tools and education sources, as well as important financial and business news and commentary from prominent partners. In addition to Hoover's and Zacks, AltaVista Finance uses advanced technology to bring together "best of breed" finance content in a single resource through leading sources, such as Raging Bull, CBS MarketWatch, Reuters, PR Newswire, and BusinessWire, among others.

Another of its prominent features is a front page display that provides immediate access to timely information and developments about initial public offerings (IPOs) -- critical news for those who follow emerging players in technology markets. True to the AltaVista brand, the AltaVista "Snapshot" feature provides one-click access to in-depth stock quote information, performance charts, research summaries, earnings reports, and recent news, all viewed on a single page.

About Hoover's

Hoover's is a Web-based provider of business information and the publisher of Hoover's Online (http://www.hoovers.com). At the core of Hoover's is a database of company information covering the world's largest, most influential and fastest-growing public and private enterprises and the industries in which they operate. Hoover's accurate, timely information is designed to provide reliable answers to the questions of the businesspeople, academics and investors who visit Hoover's Online and the more than 30 other Internet and online services through which Hoover's Company Information is available.

About Zacks

Zacks Investment Research, Inc. is a privately owned 250 person firm that provides individual and professional investors with weekly summaries and value added analyses of the research produced by the US brokerage industry. Each week, Zacks evaluates over 15,000 changes in EPS estimates and stock recommendations made by the 3,000 stock analysts employed by 230 US brokerage firms. This monumental flow of price driving information is used to produce the Zacks Rank and 35 print, software, On-line, and fax services subscribed to by hundreds of thousands of individual investors, retail brokers, equity traders, portfolio managers, buy side analysts, and investor relations managers worldwide.