The great paradox of our times is that, while the Internet has revolutionised people`s lives, as an investment class, it has proved a mighty disappointment.

As well as hundreds of dot coms that have been unceremoniously converted into dot bombs, several other companies with some sort of connection to the Internet have also had a dismal time of things. These include those that invested heavily in Internet divisions, as well as those, such as hardware or services companies, who hoped to tap into the huge growth in e-commerce that everyone expected.