117 Unanswered Topics
Remove Filter  | Information Week has a great piece out on how IT CEO’s are riding out the rough economy. Surely, the 266 hike in the Dow Jones Industrial Average today, thanks to lower oil prices and a report indicating increased consumer sentiment, should soothe the jangled nerves of even the most downcast … |
| | I was going to write that the Q2 quarterly numbers (not just in the tech sector but across the board) were better than most experts predicted. For the most part, that’s true. U.S. companies have performed fairly well for the past quarter, thanks especially to increased sales overseas and a … |
| | Oh, my - eBay shares dropped 7% in Wednesday trading. That after the company announced in a wide-ranging conference call with analysts that it wouldn’t meet current quarterly sales and revenue projections. That throws cold water on eBay’s reputation as a company that constantly delivers a positive earnings outlook every … |
| | I noticed that Market Pulse stock picking guru Bernard Schmitt put Sun Microsystems on his “closely watched” list, ultimately tagging Sun’s stock as a “bearish” one. Why? He says he doesn’t like the company’s fundamentals; doesn’t like the stability of the software server market, where Sun historically makes it hay; … |
| | News on the markets focused on President Bush’s removal of a 30-year-old ban on offshore drilling off the coast of the United States. But that’s only one step – he needs Congress to remove the ban completely and so far that’s showing no sign of happening. But there was some … |
| | It's a busy Monday morning for tech companies on Wall Street, with Apple announcing that over one million new G3 iPhones were sold last week (despite a public relations black eye over a downed Apple server that kept the new phones dark for thousands of new customers). Apple's stock is … |
| | Looking for a “relief rally”? That’s what Wall Street calls a temporary lull in selling that could lead to a more sustainable uptick in broad-based stock prices. Usually, it’s one industry that feeds the bounce-back and Kevin DePew, an analyst and editor at Minyanville.com, which tracks the stock market, says … |
| | A decent day in tech trading, with both the Morgan Stanley “Big 35” tech benchmark and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index up from week-long lows. Maybe it’s the first day of the quarter and people are just glad the last one is over, or maybe the July 4th margaritas are going … |
| | The stock market is taking another major hit today after consumer confidence numbers came in well below expectations. The Conference Board, which measures the monthly consumer confidence number, reports that June’s number fell to 50.4%, down from 57% in May. Big investors had been anticipating consumer confidence numbers in the … |
| | Nasdaq is up nine points to 2,463 in Monday afternoon trading, with a slew of encouraging news from the technology sector, especially good news on the cell phone front and news that federal regulators will okay the Sirius/XM Satellite merger. Sirius is up five percent, to $2.68 while XM rose … |
| | Everybody's touting Intel as being the trigger for a run-up in chip stocks late last week, although I like the numbers that National Semiconductor is showing. What's beyond debate, however, is that the semiconductor market is on the rebound amid signs that the sector's long decline may finally be over. … |
| | Oh boy, just when we thought we were out of the woods, high oil prices are pulling us back in again. Oil prices skyrocketed by $7 a barrel today to $135 a barrel, gathering even more momentum after Thursday's big bump-up, and that, unfortunately, is the good news. A new … |
| | I know that, technically speaking, airline stocks aren't technology stocks (although I can't think of a more amazing technology that one which enables a 10-ton tube of metal to become airborne in New York and drop you safely in Chicago two hours later) but hear me out. This could be … |
| | Want to take a second look at a former high-flying tech stock? How about CA, the information technology giant, whose slow-and-steady growth is occurring mostly under the radar of most Wall Street observers? But that might not last too long, especially as CA’s most recent quarterly financials, released last Friday, … |
| | Taxes, inflation, oil prices – even the price of corn are dominating the economic headlines these days. But should they overshadow the story of the (briefly resurgent) U.S. dollar? I don't think so - and I don't think anyone in the tech sector should sell the dollar story short, either. … |
| | Samsung Electronics had good news for the world equity markets, telling investors that it would post a 37% increasing earnings over the first quarter of 2008. The news wasn't so hot at consumer electronics competitor Toshiba Corp., which announced a 95% drop in profits. So why the disparity? Let's tackle … |
| | Harris Associates is typically one of the better value strategists out there - especially when it comes to finding value in technology stocks. One reason is why is the stock-picking acumen of chief information officer David Herro. He was interviewed on Tech Ticker this morning and had some interesting things … |
| | Tech stocks have been lagging along with the rest of the stock market so far in 2008, but its long-term prospects are much, much better. So says Imran Khan, a JP Morgan senior analysts who specializes in the telecom and Internet markets. Khan is one of my favorite analysts and … |
| | It’s a big day for semiconductor stocks, with an upbeat forecast from chip giant Intel boosting stocks in other semiconductor companies and giving the overall market a nice bounce, as well. Through mid-morning trading, Intel is up $1, to $22 per share. Other chip companies are following suit . . … |
| | The roller coaster ride for tech stocks grew even wilder today, but in a good, adrenaline-rush kind of way. The news is mostly all good, with Banc of America Securities issuing a report that boosted semiconductor companies, stating that "a modest inventory build-up has eased". That's all investors needed to … |
| | With the semiconductor market on the ropes, Intel is doing all it can to stay relevant - financially and globally. To that end, today's news that Intel has "doubled down" on China by rolling out its second venture fund in the burgeoning Far East Tiger. The fund, to be called … |
| | I wrote about Motorola last year, when the consumer technology provider was struggling to keep up with tougher Asian market competitors like Samsung and Nokia. The Associated Press reports that shares of Motorola, which has a market value of about $22 billion, have fallen more than 60 percent since October … |
| | 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 … |
| | 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 … |
| | 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 … |
| | 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 … |
| | 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 … |
| | 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 … |
| | 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 … |
| | 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. … |
| | 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 … |
| | 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 … |
| | 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 … |
| | 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 … |
| | 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 … |
| | Scary reading from the pages of Fortune magazine this week. In the business weekly's November 19 edition, an article entitled "The End of the Tech Stock Party" goes down like a tofu turkey on Thanksgiving night. Before I get into what Fortune has to say, it's pretty clear that technology … |
| | A quiet holiday week so far in the technology side of the stock market. Most of the action will take place in the retail sector, with both Best Buy and Comp USA opening on Thanksgiving night - - well ahead of Black Friday. Early holiday shoppers can expect to find … |
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