Beware This Tech-Tonic Shift In The Global Technology Sector

by Tony Daltorio, Investment U Research

If you’re betting on a recovery in technology stocks based on third quarter earnings reports from companies such as IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), you’re not alone.

While economists and commentators debate the issue, many investors have already placed large bets on a V-shaped recovery for the tech sector.

They have some good reason to think so too, since the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite has risen 70% from its March lows. The problem is, they’re expecting “business as usual” in the industry… meaning they think spending will pick up the way it did in the 1990s.

Kris Gopalakrishman, CEO of Indian tech giant, Infosys (Nasdaq: INFY) – a company in the Xcelerated Profits Report portfolio – sees it differently,

...

Another Monday… Another “Game-Changing” Deal

by Martin Denholm, Senior Editor

Monday is Merge Day.

A few weeks ago, the market saw the busiest day of deal-making in three months, as the news-wires lit up with news of several big takeover announcements, including Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) buying Marvel (NYSE: MVL).

It happened again the following week. In fact, over a 10-day period, more than $40 billion worth of deals were announced.

And even as the third quarter winds down, the pace is still frenetic in the M&A market.

Today saw technology equipment firm Xerox (NYSE: XRX) announce a $6.4 billion deal to buy Affiliated Computer Services (NYSE: ACS) – its biggest acquisition on record.

Xerox investors greeted the news with a collective “ugh,” as shares of the photocopying and business supplies giant spiraled down by 17%. While perhaps

...

U.S. stocks ended the day mixed as concerns grew that a six-month old rally has gone ahead of any economic recovery.  A drop in crude prices on global demand concerns sent energy shares lower.  Also, investors appeared jittery ahead of the two-day policy meet and Friday's key post of August durable goods, and refrained from adding to their holdings.  Defensive areas like healthcare rose.  Technology shares also found some favor with investors after Dell announced plans to acquire Perot Systems in a $3.9 billion deal.

This morning’s stock futures indicate Wall Street is headed for a higher opening, helped by a rally in global stocks.  Ahead of the market’s open, Dow Jones industrial average futures rose 48, or 0.5%, to 9,766.  Standard & Poor's 500 index futures were up 6.20, or 0.6%, to 1,066.60, while Nasdaq 100 index futures rose 10.75, or 0.6%, to 1,738.50.  Ahead of the FOMC

...

Commonly seen as a move countering rival Hewlett Packard's (HPQ) acquisition of EDS back in May, this morning Dell, Inc. (DELL) announced it will buy Perot Systems (PER) for $3.9 billion -- $30 per share of Class A common stock. Perot Systems was founded by former presidential candidate Ross Perot in 1988; Perot founded EDS a quarter-century earlier. The price tag amounts to a 68% premium in PER shares from Friday's close, and today the stock is trading accordingly -- up nearly $12 per share so far this morning. As for DELL shares, the tech giant is down over 5% at this point today, perhaps on concerns about the price and/or the nuts and bolts of implementing Perot Systems into Dell's technology services group. It had been increasingly clear that Dell would need to make some sort of move to stay competitive with global ...

• Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) revealed plans to acquire Perot Systems (NYSE:PER) –founded my former U.S. Presidential candidate, Henry Ross Perot- for about $3.9 billion, or $30 per share in efforts to expand beyond its core computer business to include computer-services consulting. • Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ:WYNN) has responded to positive reactions to its plans for an initial public offering in Hong Kong of its Macau casino operations, increasing the size of proceeds to about $1.6 billion from $1 billion of a few weeks earlier. • Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) lifted its rating on Novellus Systems (NASDAQ:NVLS) to "outperform" from "neutral" with a price target of $29, up from $23. • Lennar Corp (NYSE:LEN) reported a 3rd quarter loss of 97 cents, including 76 cents in charges, versus estimates of a $0.48 cent loss, compared with a 56 cent loss last year. • Synnex Corp (NYSE:SNX) is scheduled to report earnings today, with an ...