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Technology Stocks : Oracle Corporation (ORCL) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: alydar who wrote (10953)	6/9/1999 7:02:00 PM
From: AJ Berger	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 19080

Oracle stock newbie question what made the stock price fall from near $40 mid March to the $20's by mid April? I see that revenue, margins, have been improving, and even the float has diminished somewhat. So what got investors so upset 3 months ago?

To: alydar who wrote (10953)	6/10/1999 8:38:00 AM
From: alydar	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 19080

Mr. Ballmer is a real visionary of the future of computing! Microsoft's Steve Ballmer Sees PC Sales Slowing New York, June 9 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. President Steve Ballmer said he sees sales of personal computers slowing in the next 12 months because consumers fear the year 2000 date- change glitch. Sales of other computing devices will boom in the next several years as more people get connected to the Internet through hand-held devices or Internet-connected televisions, said Ballmer, speaking at a PaineWebber Growth & Technology conference in New York. Households could have four personal computers each within five years, as well as Web-connected televisions, Internet telephones and hand-held computers, Ballmer predicted. A personal computer will control the entire network, he said. ''There's a broader course our company will take. It's the PC plus the Internet,'' Ballmer said. ''The PC will keep a central role. It's so flexible it can be anything.'' Ballmer's comment on slowing PC sales contrasts with what most market-research firms and computer makers are expecting. International Data Corp. yesterday increased its forecast for 1999 PC shipment growth to 19 percent. The Framingham, Massachusetts-based research firm said it hasn't seen evidence of consumer delays because of Year 2000 fears. ''We don't see a big disruption in the market,'' said Bruce Stephen, who heads IDC's PC research. Gateway Inc., the second-largest direct seller of PCs, also said it hasn't seen consumers shy away from new purchases. ''Consumer fear of Y2K isn't slowing business,'' Gateway spokesman Brad Shaw said. Staying Cautious Ballmer said that he's no more or less cautious about the outlook for Microsoft, the world's biggest software maker, than he was a month ago. ''As long as we don't have a market share problem. That's what I think about every day,'' he said. In April, Microsoft warned that some companies may delay software purchases for the rest of the year because of concern about the Year 2000 bug. Older computer programs sometimes read only the last two digits of the year, mistaking 2000 for 1900, which could cause computer or network malfunctions. Microsoft generally takes a cautious view of its overall earnings and revenue prospects. The Redmond, Washington-based company is known for careful management of expectations about its performance. The Internet will increasingly change software, with people no longer relying on disks or CD-ROMs to put programs on their computers, said Ballmer. ''No one will have a software product in 10 years,'' he said. ''They'll have a service.'' Software companies will update their programs automatically over the Internet, and consumers and businesses will be able to keep their documents stored on the global computer network, he said. Microsoft rose 2 15/16 to 82 5/16, and was the most active stock in U.S. markets. Jun/09/1999 19:46 For more stories from Bloomberg News, click here. (C) Copyright 1999 Bloomberg L.P. Any redistribution of Bloomberg content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Bloomberg L.P. Any reference to the material must be properly attributed to Bloomberg News. The information herein was obtained from sources which Bloomberg L.P. and its suppliers believe reliable, but they do not guarantee its accuracy. Neither the information, nor any opinion expressed, constitutes a solicitation of the purchase or sale of any securities or commodities.(C) Copyright 1999 Bloomberg L.P. BLOOMBERG, Bloomberg News, Bloomberg Financial Markets, Bloomberg Television, Bloomberg News Radio are trademarks, tradenames and service marks of Bloomberg L.P.