Compaq Computer Corp

HOUSTON -- In a bid to battle clone makers and recapture market share, Compaq Computer Corp. will introduce Monday 16 new personal computers and slash prices of its older models. The product introduction includes laptops and PCs powered by Intel Corp.'s most powerful 80486 microprocessor.While more powerful than its older models, the new PC line is less expensive.

Expectations were high when Hewlett-Packard Co. hired Carleton S. "Carly" Fiorina in July 1999 to be its chief executive officer, making her one of only four women running Fortune 500 companies and the first to head a Dow 30 company. The former Lucent Technologies Inc. executive and one-time philosophy major was brought in to prepare the highly bureaucratic high-tech giant to do battle in the fast-moving Internet economy. The 46-year-old's timing couldn't have been worse. Fiorina took over just as the economy was beginning to slow and businesses were scaling back on technology spending.

Apple's profit plummetsApple Computer Inc. said yesterday that its second-quarter profit fell 84 percent, another reflection of the squeeze on its prices during the past year.The company's revenues rose 5 percent but, for the first time, were below Compaq Computer Corp., which for nearly a decade has been the No. 3 personal computer maker behind IBM and Apple.Apple earned $17.4 million, or 15 cents a share, for the three months ended April 1. That compares with $110.9 million, or 92 cents a share, for the same period of last year.

WANT TO cash in on high-tech stocks? "They may have tremendous potential," says Black Enterprise, March, "but how do you tell the difference between a sure thing and a pipe dream?" "The simple fact is this: Technology shares just aren't measured like other stocks. "Many software, hardware, semiconductor and Net shares just don't fit the neat, understandable price-earnings multiples that we've learned to use as a guide." The article suggests that investors stick "to companies that dominate their industries.

Compaq Computer Corp.Compaq Computer Corp., one of the nation's leading personal computer companies, said yesterday that first-quarter earnings more than doubled on record sales.The Houston-based company said first-quarter earnings totaled $102 million, or $1.23 a share, vs. earnings of $45 million, or 53 cents a share, a year earlier.Eckhard Pfeiffer, president and chief executive officer, said sales reached a record $1.6 billion for the quarter, compared with $783 million in sales reported in the first quarter of 1992.

Businesses and individuals are changing the way they buy personal computers in a shift that's shaking the foundations of the PC industry, according to a new industry research study.Rather than go through retailers and middlemen, more buyers want to get their computers directly from the manufacturer.It could be as big a change for the industry as the introduction of the original IBM PC, or the commoditization of PC hardware that almost brought down Compaq Computer Corp. in the early 1990s, said Dataquest senior analyst Scott Miller, who worked on the group's study.

WANT TO cash in on high-tech stocks? "They may have tremendous potential," says Black Enterprise, March, "but how do you tell the difference between a sure thing and a pipe dream?" "The simple fact is this: Technology shares just aren't measured like other stocks. "Many software, hardware, semiconductor and Net shares just don't fit the neat, understandable price-earnings multiples that we've learned to use as a guide." The article suggests that investors stick "to companies that dominate their industries.

Home values rise in U.S.Property values rose in most areas of the nation during the final quarter of 1992, a real estate trade group said yesterday. The exceptions were in California and some parts of the Northeast.A survey of 125 metropolitan areas by the National Association of Realtors showed 101 increases over the same period a year earlier in the prices of previously owned, single-family detached and attached homes.In Baltimore, prices rose 0.4 percent from a year earlier, to $113,800.

Three titans of the personal computer industry have joined with most of the nation's largest local telephone companies to enable consumers to receive Internet data over regular telephone lines at speeds much higher than are currently possible, according to executives involved with the alliance.Compaq Computer Corp., Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. intend to unveil the venture next week at a communications conference in Washington, the executives said.The formation of the new group is one of the most significant early moves in what promises to be a years-long battle between telephone companies and cable television companies for control of how consumers get high-speed access to the Internet.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks closed mixed yesterday after going through yet another volatile session, as apprehension about slowing profits overshadowed an optimistic forecast from the chairman of Compaq Computer Corp.The Dow Jones industrial average, after an early plunge of more than 76 points, rebounded to a 32-point gain, only to close up 8.14 points. Shares of Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. and General Motors Corp. led the average to 5,354.69.The Nasdaq composite index, filled with smaller, more speculative companies as well as bellwethers such as chip-maker Intel Corp.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks rose yesterday for a second day, as investors bid up Microsoft Corp., Intel Corp. and other computer shares on confidence that prices are now in line with their profit outlook and the inventory glut is largely over.The Nasdaq composite index, crammed with computer-related companies, staged its biggest rally in five months, gaining 41.31, or 2.3 percent, to 1,829.51. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 30.90 to 8,577.68, though it's still down 3.4 percent for the week after two days of wide swings.

Three titans of the personal computer industry have joined with most of the nation's largest local telephone companies to enable consumers to receive Internet data over regular telephone lines at speeds much higher than are currently possible, according to executives involved with the alliance.Compaq Computer Corp., Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. intend to unveil the venture next week at a communications conference in Washington, the executives said.The formation of the new group is one of the most significant early moves in what promises to be a years-long battle between telephone companies and cable television companies for control of how consumers get high-speed access to the Internet.

Businesses and individuals are changing the way they buy personal computers in a shift that's shaking the foundations of the PC industry, according to a new industry research study.Rather than go through retailers and middlemen, more buyers want to get their computers directly from the manufacturer.It could be as big a change for the industry as the introduction of the original IBM PC, or the commoditization of PC hardware that almost brought down Compaq Computer Corp. in the early 1990s, said Dataquest senior analyst Scott Miller, who worked on the group's study.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks rose, sending the Dow Jones industrial average to a record, as unexpectedly strong earnings from Texas Instruments Inc. spurred optimism that computer makers will benefit from growing earnings this year.The Dow average rose 52.73 to 7,975.71, within 25 points of 8,000. Hewlett-Packard Co. was the biggest gainer.The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 7.38 to 925.76. The Nasdaq composite index rose 18.23, or 1.2 percent, to 1,542.11, its ninth straight record.Among broad market indexes, the Russell 2,000 small-stock index rose 2.55 to 406.40, its fourth straight record; the Wilshire 5,000 index jumped 62.56 to 8,763.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks tumbled for a second day yesterday, sending the Dow Jones industrial average to its worst decline in a month, as money managers questioned how much more can be expected from the market in 1997.The Dow industrials fell 92.75, to 6,927.38. The average had risen 9.6 percent for the year through Tuesday, about as much as it gains in a typical year.Brokerages such as Merrill Lynch & Co. and Paine Webber Group Inc. were among the biggest losers, as investors speculated that the firms' profits would drop in a market rout.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks rose yesterday as reports of tame inflation drove bond yields lower, helping interest-rate-sensitive bank shares gain. Computer and semiconductor issues furthered the advance.Stocks were buoyed by a report indicating that wages are not rising rapidly enough to drive prices of goods and services higher. Coupled with evidence that the housing market is not heating up and that retail sales are rising modestly, the report prompted investors to reassess expectations for higher interest rates.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks rose yesterday as reports of tame inflation drove bond yields lower, helping interest-rate-sensitive bank shares gain. Computer and semiconductor issues furthered the advance.Stocks were buoyed by a report indicating that wages are not rising rapidly enough to drive prices of goods and services higher. Coupled with evidence that the housing market is not heating up and that retail sales are rising modestly, the report prompted investors to reassess expectations for higher interest rates.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks tumbled for a second day yesterday, sending the Dow Jones industrial average to its worst decline in a month, as money managers questioned how much more can be expected from the market in 1997.The Dow industrials fell 92.75, to 6,927.38. The average had risen 9.6 percent for the year through Tuesday, about as much as it gains in a typical year.Brokerages such as Merrill Lynch & Co. and Paine Webber Group Inc. were among the biggest losers, as investors speculated that the firms' profits would drop in a market rout.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks closed mixed yesterday after going through yet another volatile session, as apprehension about slowing profits overshadowed an optimistic forecast from the chairman of Compaq Computer Corp.The Dow Jones industrial average, after an early plunge of more than 76 points, rebounded to a 32-point gain, only to close up 8.14 points. Shares of Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. and General Motors Corp. led the average to 5,354.69.The Nasdaq composite index, filled with smaller, more speculative companies as well as bellwethers such as chip-maker Intel Corp.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks recouped a fraction of the previous two days' decline yesterday as software and makers of personal computers recovered.Stronger-than-expected earnings from Compaq Computer Corp., Exxon Corp., General Motors Corp., Bausch & Lomb Inc. and Bank of Boston helped stabilize the market."Earnings are coming out ahead of expectations on balance still," said Gail Dudack, market strategist at UBS Securities. "That has to be pretty amazing, given how weak the economy was in the second quarter."