I first feel interesting why the Judge announced the FOF date to be some Friday , instead of a fixed date . Just like a company will never announce its earning on some unknown Friday, but a fixed date.
The judge himself should know the exact date when he can have his FOF ready, then why he played the puzzle game by announcing an unknown Friday ? Well, there must be something he is waiting for so that he can write up his FOF . So, what is the judge waiting for ? At this point , whether there will be a settlement or not is everyone's guess, so is the FOF , positive or negative to Microsoft. The good thing is everyone is assuming the Judge will rule against Microsoft , so everyone is preparing for the worst case, including the stock, so most likely the stock price had already factored in the worst assumption, otherwise , Microsoft should fly , like SUNW. Once the uncertainity is eliminated, business as usual, the appeal will start right away, and Microsoft will continue its growth in revenue, earning, and as a result , the stock price. We all know the uncertainity started on May of 1998 when the trial first started. And guess what, the stock almost doubled since then . So, the trial is of no event , and it will be even a very very small event two years down the road if there is an appeal !!! Business as usual !!! |
