Stories by Marc Ferranti

Wall Street Beat: Rise in markets could fuel tech M&A

Increasing confidence in the economy and a rising stock market could lay the groundwork for a revival in tech-sector mergers and acquisitions as companies embrace cloud technology and pursue game-changing software, particularly for the mobile market.

Wall Street Beat: Tech stocks jump as market indexes hit milestones

On the back end of an earnings season that by many accounts could have been worse, tech investors appeared to be in the mood to celebrate on Friday, sending shares of IT companies higher as key stock-market indexes hit milestone highs.

Wall Street Beat: Earnings highlight smartphones as key to growth

With Apple reporting a decline in profit margins and Samsung consolidating its leadership in the mobile device market, earnings results and market research reports this week point to the ever-increasing importance of smartphones as key to growth in tech.

Wall Street Beat: Tech bellwethers report mixed quarter

Some of the biggest names in IT including IBM, Microsoft, Google and Intel reported quarterly earnings this week, revealing a picture of the tech sector that, while not as gloomy as had been feared, is nevertheless mixed.

Wall Street Beat: Weak PC sales rain on tech stocks' parade

Just as tech stocks were starting to rise this week, dismal PC sales reports for the first quarter burst the very short-lived bubble, causing shares of IT companies to fall back to earth Thursday.

Wall Street Beat: Tech IPO market cools but some vendors jump in anyway

Though the tech IPO market has gone from a boil to a simmer, some companies in areas such as big data and cloud-related technology are plunging in.

Dell SEC filing highlights bleak outlook that led to buyout plan

In a filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, Dell highlighted the dismal financial straits that led to its plan to take the company private, a move that now has some major shareholders in an uproar.

Wall Street Beat: As markets rise, guarded optimism for IT

Though IT trailed other sectors as market indices rose to milestone highs this quarter, some bright spots in earnings and market research reports this week indicate continuing confidence that things will go better for tech this year than in 2012.

Wall Street Beat: Markets advance but tech trends stay stable

While U.S. markets have surged lately, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average hitting milestone after milestone in 10 straight days of advances, a relatively modest increase in the value of IT company shares reflects the reality that a rising tide will not lift all boats in the tech sector.

Wall Street Beat: Tech stocks hold their own as markets surge

With U.S. markets rallying and the Dow Jones Industrial Average hitting record highs, analysts and industry insiders are expressing a sense of sober confidence, if not exuberance, about the tech sector's prospects for the year.

Wall Street Beat: Uncertainty dampens tech M&A, PwC says

Economic uncertainty tamped down the number and value of technology mergers and acquisitions in 2012 and this year may not look much different, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Wall Street Beat: Tech stocks rise despite HP, Dell PC sales declines

Even though PC giants Hewlett-Packard and Dell reported significant year-over-year sales declines, tech stocks, buoyed by signs of confidence from other IT vendors, started to rise again Friday after slumping for most of the week.

Wall Street Beat: Shareholder pushback puts Dell on defensive for privatization deal

The growing number of shareholders voicing opposition to Dell's US$24.4 billion plan to go private appears to be putting the company increasingly on the defensive, raising questions about the terms of the deal.

Wall Street Beat: Tech makes gains on solid sales reports

Solid sales reports from companies as diverse as Akamai, LinkedIn and NCR as well as positive economic data buoyed shares of IT companies Friday as markets closed in on multiyear highs.

Wall Street Beat: Earnings help boost tech as Dow closes above 14,000

Despite some caution about the fortunes of BlackBerry, Facebook and Apple, solid financial results from tech vendors coupled with positive reports about the economy are boosting confidence in IT, with share prices of computer, consumer electronics and Internet companies rising this week.