Amazon Amazes, EBay Not

While analysts are still debating whether the recession has eased its grip, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) is one company that seems to be sure of the economy recovering. The stock recently hit an all-time high of $118.49, surpassing the $106 reached in December 1999. This is surely one player who knows its strategy well. >>>

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Windows 7 Breathes Life Into Microsoft

After having recorded a dismal performance in the past few quarters, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) seems to have gotten back some of its lost magic with the arrival of Windows 7. Competition has been slowly gaining ground in a market in which Windows is still dominant: Whereas Windows claimed 93% of the overall OS market in September, Mac and Linux were far behind with a mere 5.12% and 0.95% market share respectively. But, a year ago, Windows had 95% of the market, Mac 3.7%, and Linux 0.86%. With Google joining the OS race, it promises to be a defining period for the industry. Will Windows 7 give Microsoft back its lost course? Or will consumers move in ever greater numbers to the Mac? >>>

Yahoo!’s Strategy Makes Me Sigh

Yahoo!’s (NASDAQ:YHOO) performance finally seems to be improving, with researchers projecting overall online ad revenues to fall 2.9% this year but to grow 5.9% in 2010. Because Yahoo! is a leader in display advertising, its performance can be seen as indicative of larger market trends. >>>

Google Advances In Telephony, E-Books, YouTube

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) finally seems to be regaining some recent lost ground: Following the 3Q09 results announcement on October 15, its stock crossed a 52-week high of $554.75 on October 16 after having slumped to under $250 last year. Many industry observers believe that with the economy picking up slowly, it will be giants such as Google that will manage to rake in the money as advertisers again open their purse strings. >>>

Strong Rupee Does Not Dampen Outlook At Infosys

Just when it seemed as though the Indian IT industry might be getting a breather, players now have to deal with the rising rupee, which stresses the margins and revenues of export-oriented firms. Earlier this month, the rupee reached a 52-week high, sending worry signs in the Indian sector. But despite such concerns, the number two outsourcer in India, Infosys (NASDAQ:INFY), gave an optimistic outlook in its recently published Q2 results. >>>

Will Connected Toys Propel LeapFrog Forward?

Before going into analysis of LeapFrog’s (NYSE:LF) recent quarter, let’s take a look at some numbers that put the company’s situation into context: Worldwide toy sales reached $78 billion in 2008, registering a 0.8% decline over the year, according to a recently released NDP Group report. At constant exchange rates, sales would have increased 2.3% over the year. The United States is the biggest market for toys and contributes 30% of the global share. Within the country, sales fell 2% over the year to $21.7 billion, but board game sales grew 6% over the year to $794 million. The global toy market is expected to grow to $80.3 billion by the year 2012, with growth being driven by emerging markets. >>>

RealNetworks: A Turnaround Situation

RealNetworks, Inc. (NASDAQ:RNWK) is a digital entertainment company that provides digital media services and software. It is known for Rhapsody, a subscription- and advertising-funded music service that offers downloads and on-demand streaming services; RadioPass, an Internet radio subscription service; and RealMusic. The company also has a gaming business that owns and operates subscription services for the PC and other platforms. We’re initiating coverage on this company based on my interest in turnaround situations and strategies–diamonds in the rough, so to speak. >>>

athenahealth Continues Aggressive Growth

SaaS within health care continues to remain a viable avenue for growth, and athenahealth’s (NASDAQ:ATHN), recently announced results were representative of the opportunities within the segment. As the New York Times notes, Congress is trying to restructure one-sixth of the US economy through the health care portion of the $787 billion stimulus package and through legislation expected to be approved by the Senate Finance Committee this week. Republicans and Democrats are far from agreeing on what kind of health care system the country should adopt. But whatever the government decides, athenahealth, with one foot in health care and the other in SaaS, should benefit. Let’s take a closer look at how this is so. >>>

Is Accenture On Cisco’s Radar?

M&A activity has picked up greatly in tech, including in services. Xerox announced the acquisition of outsourcing firm Affiliated Computer Services Inc., and Dell announced its acquisition of Perot Systems. Many believe that such mergers will soon threaten Accenture’s (NASDAQ:ACN) foothold in the services segment. Will it? >>>

Paychex Will Get Strong Competition From Intuit

On September 23, payroll processing company Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX) reported its first quarter results. Although there was no improvement in the company’s key indicators, one positive aspect of the results is that this quarter is the first in the past four quarters in which the decline in checks per client has slowed significantly. Intuit recently acquired SaaS payroll company PayCycle, with the help of which it is looking to increase its penetration in the small business payroll market. Let’s take a closer look. >>>