Stories by Marc Ferranti

Wall Street Beat: Microsoft deal, Intel dividend buoy tech

Though Cisco had disappointing earnings news this week, the Microsoft deal to buy Skype, an Intel dividend and solid financials from Symantec helped keep confidence in IT high.

Wall Street Beat: China tech IPOs create US buzz

Chinese tech companies are once again creating U.S. IPO market buzz, with social-networking site RenRen going public Wednesday, software security vendor NetQin Mobile launching Thursday, and several more companies set for public offerings next week.

Wall Street Beat: Tech sales stay strong

Though there were some concerns about tech company earnings this week as Microsoft, SAP and other bellwethers reported results, the IT sector has helped drive markets to a solid start for the second quarter.

Wall Street Beat: Tech sector off to strong start in Q1

A Who's Who of IT bellwethers including Apple, IBM, Intel and Qualcomm issued strong financial reports this week, the height of earnings season, reinforcing forecasts for a strong year for the tech sector.

Wall Street Beat: Tech stocks show some resilience

Despite an unusual earnings miss Thursday by Internet bellwether Google, continuing geopolitical turmoil and disappointing news for the PC market, IT is demonstrating continuing resilience as tech stocks in certain sectors moved higher Friday.

RIM's PlayBook faces mixed reception ahead of launch

Research in Motion executives came out in force Thursday evening in New York, playing hosts at the industry launch of the PlayBook tablet in an effort to convince market watchers and potential users that the device is a serious contender in an arena ...

Wall Street Beat: Underlying confidence marks tech sector

Another strong earthquake in Japan Thursday and rising oil prices caused turmoil in the markets this week, but there still appears to be strong underlying confidence in the tech sector.

Appeals court knocks down Verizon net neutrality challenge

An appeals court Monday dismissed Verizon's challenge of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's December net neutrality ruling, calling it premature.

Wall Street Beat: IT earnings boost market confidence

Oracle, Red Hat and Micron earnings, along with good macroeconomic news, are pumping oxygen into tech stocks after the tragic March 11 earthquake in Japan disrupted markets worldwide.

AT&T to acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 billion

AT&T plans to acquire T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $39 billion, the companies announced Sunday.

Wall Street Beat: Quake rocks tech stocks

The devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11 took a tragic toll on human life but also rocked markets this week, sending shares of businesses, including technology vendors, on a rollercoaster ride.

Wall Street Beat: IBM, Apple riding high

Passing the second anniversary of the Great Recession's market low this week, the technology sector remains a pillar for corporate revenue and investor confidence, as industry bellwethers like IBM and Apple make impressive share gains.

Wall Street Beat: Tablets, big data shape IT economics

News from Apple and Teradata along with various economic forecasts this week show that at seemingly opposite ends of the technology-product spectrum, non-PC mobile devices and IT capable of handling extremely high volumes of data are major forces sha...

Wall Street Beat: Enterprise trumps consumer IT sales

Repeating what has been a familiar pattern for the past six months, tech earnings and market forecasts this week show that while enterprise IT sales, especially for software, are booming, consumer demand for PCs is flagging.

Wall Street Beat: Tech earnings help buoy markets

Tech vendor results this week reinforced the perception that business spending would fuel IT sales this year, and helped indexes head for a third straight week of gains.