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Technology Stocks : How high will Microsoft fly? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: t2 who wrote (31232)10/28/1999 6:51:00 AM
From: Mick Mørmøny  Respond to of 74651
 
Antitrust bar sees Friday verdict for Microsoft

By William L. Watts, CBS MarketWatch
Last Update: 7:39 PM ET Oct 27, 1999 NewsWatch


WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- The antitrust bar is circling Friday as the most likely day for the federal judge in the landmark Microsoft anti-trust trial to release the first part of his two-phase verdict.

The court last week said the eagerly awaited ruling will come on "a Friday" evening at 6:30 p.m. ET, but didn't specify an exact date. Since then, speculation has mounted that this Friday, Oct. 29, will be the day.

Hillard Sterling, a Chicago-based technology and antitrust attorney with the firm Gordon & Glickson, said "everybody is expecting that this Friday will be the day," but noted there have been no concrete indications from the court that a ruling will indeed be issued.

If the ruling comes this Friday, it will be sure to lead to volatility in Microsoft shares (MSFT: news, msgs) on Monday, just as the world's largest software company is added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average as part of a revamp of the famed market index. Microsoft fell 1 1/2 Wednesday to close at 90 7/8.

William Kovacic, a professor at George Washington University Law School, said a decision this Friday would still give U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson enough time to make substantial progress on his conclusions of law before the end of the year.

Jackson has never issued any sort of timetable for the case, but kept the trial moving at a pace considered speedy by antitrust standards. The courtroom phase of the trial began last October.

Jackson has undoubtedly been poring over thousands of pages of testimony, evidence and briefs since final oral arguments were heard more than a month ago on Sept. 21.

The findings of fact will detail what the judge feels was proved or left unproved in the trial.

The U.S. government and 19 states accused Microsoft of wielding a monopoly through its Windows personal computer operating system. Prosecutors charged that the company ruthlessly mowed down competitors and bullied its partners in an effort to preserve the alleged monopoly.

Microsoft has steadfastly denied that it holds a monopoly and has accused the government of doing the bidding of jealous competitors.

The court will notify Microsoft and the government that a decision is forthcoming at 4:30 p.m. ET on the Friday in question. The findings of fact will be released two hours later.




To: t2 who wrote (31232)10/28/1999 3:49:00 PM
From: taxman  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 74651
 
"do you see a bottoming in this area of technology yet"

can't say. what i can say is that, based on low implied volatility, the options market saying legal fact finding will be a non event.

regards



To: t2 who wrote (31232)10/28/1999 9:58:00 PM
From: ed  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 74651
 
Well, with 35 MM shares traded, the stock dropped only $1. This is not a panic sell off , and someone is buying big time !!! Who is buying ?



To: t2 who wrote (31232)10/29/1999 10:25:00 AM
From: John F. Dowd  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 74651
 
t2: McNealy was on TV hacking away at MSFT from Boca Raton. It amazes me that a company that has enjoyed such spectacular success feels the need to be an instigating party to this DOJ suit. It indicates a basic lack of confidence on the epart of McNealy that he can compete in spite of the results of the past year. I can't imagine the judge ignoring the investment landscape and how well the complaintants and hostile witnesses have done in the market since the suit was initiated. JFD