posted 04-10-2001 06:05 PM         

With Motorola set to report a first-quarter loss Tuesday, a closely followed Lehman Brothers analyst says 2001 will be “the worst year ever” for the semiconductor industry. After the collapse in sales last year for the slivers of silicon that power personal computers, chip makers now face falling demand from the once-hot wireless communications industry. (source: MSNBC) http://msnbc.com/news/556887.asp

Loudcloud CEO Marc Andreessen believes that the innovations that emerge during this downturn will be more powerful than those seen during the recent boom. But, take these thoughts with a grain of salt due to Loudcloud's competitive position. (source: Upside) http://upside.com/Opinion/3aba960b7.html

posted 04-09-2001 12:22 PM         

Everybody seems to agree that the chip industry has hit its worst downturn since 1985. The debate at the moment is about how far the industry will fall and when it will begin to recover. (source: Red Herring) http://www.redherring.com/index.asp?layout=story&channel=10000001&doc_id=1530018753

Business-to-business software maker Ariba's aborted acquisition of Agile Software, a deal viewed as crucial to its future, was enough to incite concern from industry analysts all by itself. But combine that with layoffs of one-third of its workforce and a warning that already-reduced revenue projections would fall by nearly half again, and it's safe to say that Ariba has just lived through the worst week in its nearly four-year history. (source: Business 2.0) http://www.business2.com/content/channels/investing/2001/04/06/29629

It's no surprise that tech mutual funds performed poorly in the first quarter, as stocks across the board suffered in a weak market. Yet investors who were "short" sighted, so to speak, did better than most. (source: CNET) http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-201-5424475-0.html

John Hagel, one of the best-known authorities on the Internet, hardly appears to be losing sleep over the year-long decline of dot-coms. In fact, he is quite optimistic about the future of e-business in general, provided the industry wakes up to the need for new strategies. (source: CNET) http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-5198023.html

The leaders of the Internet world are rushing into the abyss, coming up with new ways to charge users for their once-free services every day. The latest entrant in the pay-to-play derby is Yahoo, which will offer "premium" financial information for a monthly fee. It's a tempting strategy to follow. Who can pass up multiple revenue streams, however much of a trickle they may be at first? But this columnist argues that most Internet companies need to have the guts to stand alone. They should choose a different direction. They should adopt New Hamsphire's state motto: Live Free or Die. (source: E-Commerce Times) http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/8765.html

A new report suggests that the online advertising sector is not all that bad -- and actually could be getting better. According to the report from analyst Allen Weiner, who tallied Web campaigns launched in mid-first quarter, the optimism stems from what could be the long-awaited shift from dot-com cash to traditional ad money. (source: InternetNews) http://www.internetnews.com/IAR/article/0,,12_734201,00.html

posted 04-06-2001 06:02 PM         

The European Commission is investigating U.S. computer chip giant Intel's marketing practices. Specifically, the Commission is investigating Intel's use of loyalty rebates and whether the company imposed exclusive purchasing requirements on personal computer makers and retailers. (source: ZDNet) http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2705516,00.html

Right now in software, no news really is good news. And guess what? In a week filled with earnings warnings from its peers, Siebel Systems hasn't said a thing. (TheStreet.com) http://www.thestreet.com/tech/software/1379481.html

posted 04-04-2001 05:18 PM         

Do today's "bargain" prices make you think it's time to overweight tech funds again? This columnist urges you to think twice. (source: The Street) http://www.investorguide.com/cgi-bin/daily.cgi?03832

posted 04-03-2001 05:52 PM         

Wall Street played taps for NorthPoint Communications last week as the bankrupt DSL provider shut down its service. Now many are wondering if NorthPoint's grisly end will turn out to be the death knell for all independent DSL providers. (source: Red Herring) http://redherring.com/index.asp?layout=story&channel=20000002&doc_id=250018625

posted 04-02-2001 06:46 PM         

Internet powerhouse eBay is gearing up to move beyond its auction listings base with an e-commerce hosting service, according to a report published Monday in an industry journal. (source: E-Commerce Times) http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/8547.html

WorldCom joined the growing list of companies cutting their payrolls when it laid off roughly 7% of its workforce at the end of February. Since a December low, WorldCom shares have risen 41%. Will the company succeed in its turnaround efforts, and is the stock still a buy after its recent runup? (source: Forbes) http://www.forbes.com/2001/04/02/0402streetfight.html

The Wall Street Journal's "Heard on the Street" column is calling Apple a veritable bargain at 30 times its projected earnings for 2002. Dell is up nearly 50% on the year. Yes, one could be forgiven for having thought that the PC business is on the mend. But remember that according to the industry's biggest boosters, the companies themselves, it isn't. (source: The Street) http://www.thestreet.com/tech/hardware/1371194.html

In Brief:
- B2B software provider Ariba, lowered earnings expectations from a loss of 5 cents per share to a loss of 20 cents per share. The company will layoff 700 employees, totaling a third of its work force.

posted 03-29-2001 06:03 PM         

There's no question the personal computer has been good to Microsoft. It drove the company's explosive growth, helping transform it from a startup in the mid-1970s to an industry behemoth with $23 billion in sales last year. But PC growth is waning, victimized by its own success and a lethargic economy. What effect will that have on the software giant's earnings? (source: Upside.com) http://www.upside.com/texis/mvm/hardwareSoftware/story?id=3ac273921

IBM, Microsoft and drug maker Pfizer will form a joint endeavor to sell software and services to doctors. Is WebMD getting a headache yet? (source: ZDNet) http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2702314,00.html

posted 03-28-2001 09:26 AM         

Forget WebTV. Now Microsoft is gunning for your television set with UltimateTV. But the latest digital entertainment effort raises questions about the staying power of yet another "enhanced" television venture. (source: ZDNet) http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5080187,00.html

posted 03-26-2001 05:58 PM         

LSI Logic said Monday it will snap up C-Cube Microsystems in a stock swap valued at around $878 million. LSI said the deal will boost its position in the broadband entertainment market. (source: ZDNet) http://www.zdii.com/industry_list.asp?mode=news&doc_id=ZE508005&pic=Y

Drug and health products maker Johnson & Johnson is in talks to buy Californian drugmaker Alza for a price that could top $12 billion. Johnson & Johnson, which makes personal care products such as Band-Aids and baby shampoo as well as prescription drugs and medical devices, wants to expand its pharmaceutical business. (source: CNNfn) http://cnnfn.cnn.com/2001/03/26/europe/alza/

It isn't just Immunex that suffered from heart failure last week. The entire biotechnology sector seems in need of a little triage. The Amex Biotech Index, reflecting the industry's biggest companies, dropped 5 percent last week alone, hitting a new low since April 2000. That poor showing makes the Nasdaq's 2 percent gain seem like a jackpot. But as investors nervously sniff around the market for bargains while still fearing the worst is yet to come, we are presented with a surprising question: could biotech stocks actually be cheap? (source: Red Herring) http://cnnfn.cnn.com/2001/03/26/redherring/herring_biotech/

Amazon is on the prowl. The Seattle Internet superstore is actively seeking partnerships with traditional and online merchants that could involve Amazon handing off responsibilities for some of its retailing categories. (source: MSNBC) http://www.msnbc.com/news/549838.asp

Micron Electronics last week became the first large PC manufacturer to exit the business because of the recent sales slump, but it is not expected to be the last. Pricing pressures and a slowing market are squeezing the lifeblood out of second- and third-tier manufacturers. In the end, these companies may be forced to seek a buyer or, a more likely end, simply walk away from the business. (source: CNET) http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-5237325.html

posted 03-26-2001 10:52 AM         

Database giant Oracle has stumbled trying to move into the business applications market. Last week's earnings report showed that sales were down sequentially from the previous quarter, and that Oracle has a long road to recovery. (source: Upside) http://upside.com/texis/mvm/hardwareSoftware/story?id=3ab28b171

This columnist takes a look at why privacy is the key issue surrounding Microsoft's HailStorm. (source: Cnet) http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-201-5225612-0.html