293 Posted Topics
 | I was talking to my brother again this Easter weekend – the one who traded equity options on Wall Street for 20 years. He’s consulting now, but still has some good opinions on the markets – especially the stock market over the past two or three bruising months – and … |
| | Information Week is out with a new story ranking the top Internet search firms (by number of searches) for the month of February, 2008. The results may indicate why Microsoft wants a piece of Yahoo so badly, even though Bill Gates & Co. seem unwilling to up their share-per-price bid … |
| | Kind of a quiet week in the technology corner of the stock market. That's not so bad, as people can exhale and figure out if the latest Federal Reserve move to cut the Fed Funds rate by .75 points signals the bottom (finally) of the bearish stock market. if so, …  |
| | Forbes.com has a great piece on former microprocessing kingpin Intel, which held its annual meeting today (being Wednesday). The lowdown on the thoroughly reported story is that Intel may be building things up higher (or better) than they actually are. At the meeting, Intel employees were busy rolling out the … |
| | I was so wrapped up in the AOL hoopla yesterday that I forgot to mention how well technology stocks are doing so far this week. Sure, today's trading session wasn't exactly stellar: Microsoft, Apple, AOL and others all lost ground - but only by a little. Monday and Tuesday were … |
| | More turmoil at AOL today, as the technology giant fired the head of its Platform A ad-network business yesterday. Blodget, reporting on the ever-valuable Tech Ticker portal on Yahoo.com’s finance site, says that Curt Viebranz, was canned, but there was little love for AOL's senior management. One reason why Viebranz … |
| | Ughhh . . . The markets continue to resemble a guy who swallowed too many red hot chili peppers, only with no Tums or ice water in sight. The problem this week is last Friday's jobs report. Down 63,000 jobs and with the outlook unsteady for new hirings, economists buzzed … |
| | Ugh. The tech meltdown turn toward the telecom sector this week, fixing its dark gaze on companies like AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint Nextel, among others. On Thursday, shares of telecommunications companies fell badly from the ongoing fallout amid credit concerns. The carnage was grim and deep. U.S. traded shares of … |
| | I caught a technology sector analyst from Invesco on Yahoo's Tech Ticker this morning who had some interesting things to say about the dysfunctional relationship between the technology stock sector and the subcrime . . . err . . . subprime credit debacle. It seems that the credit & lending … |
| | Businesses are snapping their wallets shut, at least when it comes to software spending - usually a good leading indicator of economic growth. One key benchmark, the ChangeWave corporate software spending survey, has seen a shift into negative territory for the first time in years. In its January, 2008 survey … |
| | How stupid is the state of Maryland? No, not it's fine people, but it's short-sighted governor Marty O'Malley and its state legislature, which recently upped taxes state-wide in an effort to fund new programs and pay for additional government services. The tax hike has residents steaming and companies rallying to … |
| | It’s like the 1990’s again, with all of the big name merger and acquisition activity. We’ve read about Microsft and Yahoo in the last few weeks and now comes wind of a proposed $1.0 billion deal between video game titan Electronic Arts and Take-Two Interactive Software. EA is known for …  |
| | Anybody reading this blog knows that the media has been adamant about the U.S. economy tanking into recession, with reporters putting their notebooks and tape recorders down and waving pom-pom's in support of economic strife for millions of Americans. Why? Once again, who knows? Probably because it's a compelling story … |
| | It's not exactly a great time for CEO's and other boardroom types to be squawking over executive pay - especially over the prickly topic of who decides how much cash & compensation corporate managers should take home with them. But even in a tough economic climate where shareholders are understandably … |
| | Nobody has ever accused Microsoft of not knowing how to play hardball. From its history of monopolistic practices, of elbowing competitors out of the marketplace (hello, Netscape!), or lifting ideas it likes from adversaries like Apple without shame, Microsoft is more than ready to throw the first punch. With that … |
| | Ugh . . . . Another lousy week for tech stocks. For the whole stock market, for that matter. But technology stocks bore the brunt of it. Let's look at some of the bigger players. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Company One-Week Return Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) - 12.4% Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) - 11.3% Research … |
| | An update on the Microsoft & Yahoo merger comes today in the form of an email from a member of the Yahoo board of directors to shareholders. The email, which was published on Todd Bishop's Microsoft Blog earlier this morning, gives a good inside account of why Yahoo shareholders may … |
| | It's cold up here in Bucks County, PA today - so cold that Al Gore's ego froze in the middle of a speech on global warming. Of course, the former vice-president blamed the deep freeze on - you guessed it - global warming. Thanks folks, I'm here all week. Don't … |
| | Even as U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson reassured us on Friday that the economy "would not go into recession" in 2008", some people, especially consumers, aren't buying it. This is exactly what I'm talking about when I vent over the power of perception and the media's glee in talking down …  |
| | The most recent quarterly returns are in on U.S. cell phone sales, and Apple seems to have taken a big bite out of Windows' market share. And it has Research in Motion in its gun sights. For years, Windows Mobile and Research and Motion phones dominated the cellular marketplace. But … |
| | It was supposed to be Christmas in May, with technology company executives harboring visions of wallet-waving consumers dancing in their heads. The reason? The proposed tax rebates coming from Washington that would put up to $1,500 in many Americans back pocket, and hopefully send them out to buy things like … |
| | Are technology companies getting a raw deal over a new international accounting rule? Plenty of tech company CFO's seem to think so. In a survey released this week by BDO Seidman, LLP, an accounting and consulting group, about half - 49% - of all chief financial officers at U.S. technology … |
| | Microsoft’s CEO has a message to Google: watch out. In a wide-ranging phone meeting with analysts and business journalists this morning, Steve Balmer, Bill Gates’ right-hand man and the chief executive officer at Microsoft says that the company’s recently-announced deal with Yahoo would foster stronger competition with industry leader Google. …  |
| | Lots to talk about today. You've probably already have read about Microsoft's $45 billion buyout of Yahoo. Obviously, Microsoft is giving up on its MSN web portal and throwing it's weight and capital behind Yahoo. For Yahoo, which has seen its stock slide precipitously in the last year, the deep … |
| | The Business Software Alliance has long been on the case of U.S. companies who use, inadvertently or not, unlicensed software for their business operations. Make no mistake, the BSA has aggressively gone after and imposed heavy fines on companies who are caught in the act using pirated software. It's not … |
| | It didn't take long for the Federal Reserve to act after this morning's announcement that last quarter's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) number - the key index in measuring the health of the U.S. economy -- was a lousy one. For the quarter, GDP clocked in at a meager 0.6% - … |
| | Let's all take a breather at the end of another topsy-turvy week on Wall Street, where things have calmed down as of mid-morning on Friday (the Dow Jones Industrial Average is off a mere four points at 11:30 AM EST, and is actually up for the week . . . … |
| | New Stimulus Package . . . Tips on Travel Costs News from Washington this morning says that congressional leaders and Bush administration officials have reached a deal on an economic stimulus package that would send checks to most taxpayers in an effort to keep the economy from falling into recession. … |
| | Keeping track of the economic news is getting nerve-racking - akin to watching a train wreck in slow motion. In the past 24 hours we've seen . . . - A Fortune magazine study showing that about 75% of Americans who think we're either already in a recession or are … |
| | Today's batch of economic news is mixed, and seemingly conflicted as ever. Hey, don't shoot me - I'm only the messenger. But for techies wondering how secure their jobs really are these days the news from the most recent Federal Reserve Beige Book report signaled economic growth for November and … |
| | If you've been following this blog, you know I'm no nay-sayer on the economy. A realist, yes, but I won't wave pom-poms for a recession like so many others in the media. That said, I don't think there's any doubt that 2008 will be short of a robust year for … |
| | Okay, I was downed by technology issues for a few days but I'm back up with a vengeance. And just in time, as the major technology companies begin to release their quarterly earnings statements. IBM was first up earlier this week, and easily surpassed analyst expectations. Wall Street attributed Big … |
| | Interesting news from a new study of 112 homes in the Seattle area that shows a 10% reduction in home energy bills through the use of "smart grid" technology. The study, conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy, and reported on CNet News this morning, says its GridWise Project not … |
| | There's an old saying in marketing that the consumer always gets what he or she wants. That's likely never been more true than with today's cell phones, where users are clamoring for more than just songs downloads, video, GPS, systems, and, increasingly, voice mail technologies. Voice mail? Did he just … |
| | Warner Brothers certainly has a lot of weight to throw around the consumer technology - and their latest move landed squarely on increasingly frustrated HD-DVD providers. In a move that signals a tectonic shift in the consumer video industry, Warner Bros. Entertainment announced last week that it will release its … |
| | The drum beat has already started for next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where you won't be able to swing a dead rotary dial phone without hitting a slick sales type breathing the word "wireless" into your ear. Elena Malykhina, writing in Information Week this morning, advises show … |
| | Yesterday we looked at the 2008 technology spending market from the small business side. To be charitable, things look "iffy" for IT spending -- at least during the first six months of the year. Now it appears that, from the technology side of the market, 2008 could be a mixed … |
| | I'd like to dive into the technology stock sector for '08 this week, but let's first tee things up with the outlook from the folks who do most of the IT spending -- small business owners. According to the numbers from the Discover Small Business Watch, released this morning, small … |
| | If McDonalds can advertise, “Over 1 billion served” on each of its restaurants signs, then why can’t Comcast, Verizon, Sprint and the rest of the broadband world say the same thing? Well, technically, soon they can. That after a new report from Strategy Analytics that estimates over one billion broadband … |
| | It should be a slow week for technology stocks, what with the holidays fast approaching and a dearth of any meaningful quarterly earnings surprises. The former you know about, with Christmas only a week away. Late December is notoriously dull for the stock market as traders think more about fun … |
| | Yesterday I wrote that Google was ranked dead last in a national survey of Internet search engine companies when it comes to consumer privacy rights. I also notes how Congress was taking a closer look at Google's privacy practices, particularly in light of its proposed merger with Doubleclick. Now it … |
| | A recent study on the privacy rankings of big internet search engine providers reveals that Google might have some ‘splainin to do, especially if Congress gets its way. In the process, its proposed merger/buyout with Doubleclick might be in trouble. First, Google’s privacy problems, as defined by some privacy experts. …  |
| | From what I'm seeing out here in the trenches, economists just can't seem to agree on the health of the U.S. economy, in general, and the technology economy, in particular in 2008. Last week's consumer numbers seem to suggest that people are still willing to break out the checkbooks and … |
| | You've heard of Wi-Fi . . . but how about Wi-Fly? That's the moniker tech analysts are using to label new inflight internet access applications. That's right. Starting this month on select airlines, you can start checking email, watching the latest batch of YouTube videos, or catch the score of … |
| | On a trip to Newport Beach, Oregon, this past summer, I was introduced to a global positioning satellite device for the first time. It was a real eye-opener. All I had to do was type in the address I was heading toward, and the satellite took care of the rest. … |
| | IDC is out with its annual IT market forecast and, at first glance, 2008 won't be setting any box-office records, business-wise. According to the Boston-based consultancy, growth in global technology spending will slow next year, rocked by a potential U.S. economic downturn that could crimp spending on computer hardware. Overall, … |
| | Two new studies out today on the burgeoning automotive sensor marketplace. First up is BCC research (full disclosure, I have written for BCC Research, but not on automotive sensors). According to BCC’s latest technical market research report, Automotive Sensor Technologies: Global Market, the global market for automotive sensors is expected … |
| | Just checking out some of the stock prices of the big online retailers after Black Monday – the biggest online shopping day of the year. eBay was up 3.45% in Monday trading while Amazon was up 3.0% -- both prices indicative of the bullish sentiment investors are showing on online … |
| | Retail stocks should see even a bigger bump this month -- and possibly into 2008 -- due to an increased demand for a product that basically didn't exist a dozen years ago -- gift cards. That's the big news coming out of "Black Monday", the newest holiday on Wall Street's … |
| | Monday is upon us, and thoughts on Wall Street turn away from turkey and football to key companies issuing quarterly earnigns statements this week. It's a particularly crucial period for computer makers, video game companies, digital camera companies - in short - - any company with a potential gift to … |
The End.