Tom Taulli

After three years of grueling downturn, the semiconductor industry may have entered a cyclical upturn last year. According to estimates from the Semiconductor Industry Association, sales came to $144 billion in 1999 and could reach $234 billion by 2002. Sounds great – especially for chip IPOs. So, the inSilicon issue is definitely timely. Based in […]

Yesterday, the stock price of E.piphany (EPNY) got whacked, plunging 61-15/16 to 187. This was the response to the company’s announcement to purchase Octane Software for 12.8 million shares (this represents about 26.5 percent of the new combined entity). The deal sounds expensive and dilutive. Then again, paying top-dollar for acquisitions has been a smart […]

As the popularity of the Internet continues to grow, companies are targeting a larger market than just PC users. It is hard for me to imagine (but I know they exist), individuals who have never touched, seen, or experienced the World Wide Web. Netpliance knows its niche market and has developed a product and system […]

eBay (EBAY) is an amazing company. Virtually anything can be auctioned on the site. Actually, eBay itself might be up for auction. It appears that Yahoo! (YHOO) is interested in making a bid to buy eBay. A Wall Street darling — a company that even has profits — eBay’s stock price has recently been treading […]

Not long ago I watched the movie “Runaway Bride.” Julia Roberts plays someone who, on various occasions, gets to the altar — but then flees. While the movie may sound far-fetched, this is not the case with mergers and acquisitions. Yesterday, we saw evidence of this when Time Warner (which owns Columbia House) and Sony […]

Since late January, the IPO market has been roaring. Even such things as negative comments from Alan Greenspan can’t stop the IPO gravy train. Net2000 (NTKK), a telecommunications company, opened on Tuesday at $20 and continued to 35 1/16 on its first day of trading . By Friday, it had settled at 31 5/16. Net2000, […]

What looks hot for the IPO market this week? Reply: Look for FairMarket to do quite well. The price range was upped to $13-$15 and may be upped more this week. The company plans to issue 5 million shares. The company is a leading provider of auction technology. Although, sales are still small. Last year […]

Next week’s IPOs will bring a return of Linux mania. Caldera Systems manufactures software products, specialized servers and Internet access devices designed specifically businesses. In 1999, the company’s OpenLinux technology received Linux Journal’s Product of the Year award at Comdex and Network Computing’s Well-Connected Award for Best Network Operating System. The proposed ticker symbol is […]

The venture capital firm Benchmark Capital has had many homeruns, such as Ariba, eBay and Red Hat. Now, the firm has setup a $500 million fund to target Europe. In a way, the Net possibilities are similar to what existed in the US several years ago. In fact, European IPOs have done quite well, as […]

This year, the IPO market has been torrid. Yet, there have been some stinkers. One has been Pets.com . Basically, investors have abandoned this one. In the IPO, the stock was offered at $11. Now, the stock is trading at a lowly 7-1/32. But yesterday, the company found some shelter. Analysts from Merrill Lynch and […]

Wall Street can be a cruel place. If your earnings do not meet expectations, then your stock is likely to be massacred. This is what happened to Intuit (INTU) , when the company recently announced that it matched analysts forecasts. The company had profits of $91.4 million or 44 cents a share in the last […]

With the development of numerous streaming media technologies and the increased availability of high-speed access, the Internet is now a viable platform for delivery of audio and video media. However, if you have ever been disappointed by the quality of the audio and video on the Internet, Loudeye Technologies should get your attention. The price […]