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Should you be buying Microsoft (MSFT) shares?

Is Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) still a good investment? After the ten-bagger days of the 1990s, it's hard to get excited about a 30 year-old software company that is getting upstaged in the media these days by more popular names like Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL). Microsoft has attempted to stay in the game this year (at least from a media perspective) by acquiring aQuantive, its largest-ever purchase.

Add to that the incredible sales of Halo 3 since its debut in late September and there are many bright spots on Microsoft's armor. However, Windows Vista uptake has been slower than some forecast, and that's not the whole negative story. Although its games division is peaking right now, there are years of hard work ahead to make that area consistently profitable and growing. So, again -- why buy Microsoft?

Microsoft's corporate products get little attention from the mainstream media these days, but its Office and Exchange software franchises continue to be the lifeblood of many global companies. Sure, Google is trying to nip away at those services with semi-comparable web-based offerings, but that effort will limit itself before becoming a large threat. As noted by 24/7 Wall St., newer products are on tap, and Goldman Sachs strongly hints at a bright future for the company, at least in the short term.

Continue reading Should you be buying Microsoft (MSFT) shares?

Blackstone's IPO & you: Risk capital only

The compelling question regarding The Blackstone Group's (NYSE: BX) IPO is this: "Is the Blackstone IPO right for me, the typical investor?"

Well, that depends.

We'll leave aside the management compensation and political dimensions to this IPO -- Mr. Hamilton (you remember him, Alexander Hamilton) said a long time ago that political questions are best resolved by those in Washington, not in New York -- and we see no reason to disagree with the great Mr. Hamilton now.

The Deal

Instead we'll focus on one of the tasks New York performs best: analyzing market potential and discovering price.

Continue reading Blackstone's IPO & you: Risk capital only

The Google hype, is it madness, marketing or money?

My fellow blogger, Sheldon Liber left an invitation for explanations revealing the causes of what I shall term, "The great Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) hype of 2006". I am one of the people who have bought into that hype but it's a hype you can bank on. There seems to still be some confusion as to why Google is found by so many to be so attractive as an investment. Really friends, how do you place a benchmark or limit on such a forward operating company?

Remember as you read this that I'm not your run of the mill financial analyst. I'm not a financial analyst at all. I'm just a guy who has a special knack for getting some insight into what the consumer is probably thinking. So when I write about the magical way in which Google has swept onto the Internet with such great force, it's not about money to me. It's about quality, presentation and consumer confidence among other things.

Continue reading The Google hype, is it madness, marketing or money?

Symbol Lookup
IndexesChangePrice
DJIA+68.1112,869.34
NASDAQ+24.802,928.68
S&P 500+8.371,351.01

Last updated: February 13, 2012: 04:04 PM

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