Tom Taulli

I use Yahoo! frequently throughout the day. But on Monday, nothing seemed to work. I actually thought it was a problem with my Internet Service Provider (ISP). Of course, being the premier Net company, Yahoo! was the first of many major sites to get hit by hackers “denial of service” attacks. The fact is, the […]

So far, Red Hat is the leader of the Linux movement, with over 50 percent of Linux servers shipped worldwide. For this leadership, Wall Street has placed a hefty $13 billion market capitalization on the company. Other Linux companies are scrambling for leadership and more market capitalization. Last week, VA Linux paid a whopping $1 […]

For some time, the financial markets have had an obsession with interest uncertainties. Yet, key economic indicators show that inflation is under control. Yesterday, there was more evidence of this, when the government reported that workers’ productivity soared 5 percent (on an annual basis). What’s more, labor costs fell. Both stocks and bonds rallied on […]

Many years ago, I had a pager from Paging Network. I loved it. However, when I got my cell phone, I really had no need for the service. So, I cancelled my subscription. At one time, Paging Network (PAGE) was on the fast-track for high-growth companies. Unfortunately, many of its users did what I did: […]

In IPO lingo, analysts will often refer to the concept of “window.” No, this does not involve Microsoft technology. Rather, it is an indication of the fickleness of the IPO market. That is, within a very short time, a market space can get suddenly hot and then suddenly cold. This week, we may see the […]

What do you think will be the hottest IPO this week? Reply: Despite Greenspan and volatility in the NASDAQ, the IPO market has been unstoppable. It is not easy to guess the biggest IPO. But I do like WebMethods. The company is a leader in the latest cool thing: business-to-business integration, which is known as […]

Do people really read IPO documents filed with the SEC? Maybe not. Well, at least potentially bad stuff is not scaring investors away. Take this week’s SkillSoft. The company is in a cool industry – online courses. But if you look closely at the prospectus there is a big Red Flag. Here’s the story: Several […]

Several years ago, when I was in law school, I was given a free subscription to both Lexis-Nexis and West Law. The service allowed me to scan the electronic archives to help me better understand the law. Although, I’m sure the purpose of the free service was to hook me into purchasing their service when […]

Several years ago, when talking to a chief executive officer of a Net company, he said, “It will be a dark day when Internet companies start making money.” Well, of course, most Net companies are not making money. However, more and more are beginning to mature — and will eventually start sprouting black ink on […]

Several years ago, I purchased the Nokia Communicator. It connected me to the Net; allowed me to check for e-mail; I could set appointments. It was amazing. Unfortunately, I did not use it much. Basically, it was too big to lug around. But what impressed me was that, for a big company, Nokia (NOK) operates […]

Despite the fact the NASDAQ has taken many hits in the past few weeks, it looks as if the IPO market will have some nice winners this week. There are 18 IPOs planned for this week. There is also a $525 million follow-on offering from Red Hat Inc. (RHAT) Obviously, markets are eagerly awaiting the […]

With the Internet growing at breakneck speed, it is essential to partner with other companies. Speed-to-market often determines success or failure. One company particularly savvy at partnering is Priceline (PCLN) . The company’s innovative “name your price” system has proved to be extremely versatile. Interestingly enough, the company had to preannounce its financials because they […]