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Getbig Main Boards => Gossip & Opinions => Topic started by: Alex23 on May 20, 2010, 03:45:20 PM
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... especially in my sector; many acquisitions about to close in Q3...
PM me, I'll be happy to help.
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bench
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the stock market is literally a bunch of tools who dont really know what the fuck is going on.
you might get lucky here and there but as a whole there is no way to read it because almost every holder is a tool and does all their trading based on the day's headline ::)
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the stock market is literally a bunch of tools who dont really know what the fuck is going on.
you might get lucky here and there but as a whole there is no way to read it because almost every holder is a tool and does all their trading based on the day's headline ::)
.. that's what we want you to believe... :-* :-* :-* Dont' wanna brag but YTD excluding bonuses, I generated more income trading than I did with my "day job"..... andto give you an idea, in 2009 I paid 54k in taxes on W2's income alone... do the math chief.
The only more lucrative venture would be to invest in Dubai, India.
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.. that's what we want you to believe... :-* :-* :-* Dont' wanna brag but YTD excluding bonuses, I generated more income trading than I did with my "day job"..... andto give you an idea, in 2009 I paid 54k in taxes on W2's income alone... do the math chief.
The only more lucrative venture would be to invest in Dubai, India.
DA wouldnt agree with that......dubai india never paid for his AIDS treatment, or hair piece!!!
bench
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how does broadcom and juniper look?
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.. that's what we want you to believe... :-* :-* :-* Dont' wanna brag but YTD excluding bonuses, I generated more income trading than I did with my "day job"..... andto give you an idea, in 2009 I paid 54k in taxes on W2's income alone... do the math chief.
The only more lucrative venture would be to invest in Dubai, India.
investing is always easy when you already have money.
good job pointing out how 'rich' you are yet again ::)
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Here's a stock tip, get out now, re-invest in 2012 after the next presidential election.
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investing is always easy when you already have money.
good job pointing out how 'rich' you are yet again ::)
LOL that's not "rich" chief, just uppper-middle with a career and comfortable at 33yo.... I chose early on not to spend on GH kits and "gizmos" and instead bought my first townhouse at 23 while still in grad school; in the meantime the bay area real estate market boomed and I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to cash out... Then lucky enough to join a company just about to go IPO....
No shame in that; I worked my ass off from the age of 17 living on my own... never got a dime from my parents passed 18yo...
bitch or learn from it; your call chief..
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.. that's what we want you to believe... :-* :-* :-* Dont' wanna brag but YTD excluding bonuses, I generated more income trading than I did with my "day job"..... andto give you an idea, in 2009 I paid 54k in taxes on W2's income alone... do the math chief.
The only more lucrative venture would be to invest in Dubai, India.
i'd call you on this BS but promised i wouldnt attack your wife again. you good to go.
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Here's a stock tip, get out now, re-invest in 2012 after the next presidential election.
yeah, cause the economy is so much better than when a republican left office....you still don't get it....turn off the radio, and read a history book..
bench
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Here's a stock tip, get out now, re-invest in 2012 after the next presidential election.
No wonder you train men at lifting "weights" for a living... you're driven by churchesque-idiocracy ::)
;D
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....Yet make more than you in income?
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....Yet make more than you in income?
I wish you all the best chief doubt it's true... at 50+, no one with a straight mind would do what you do unless they have to... think about it; think about where you are and where people with your (claimed) income range usually are decision and influence wise...
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Coach would be right at home in a 3rd grade classroom.
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....Yet make more than you in income?
you dont.....
bench
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... especially in my sector; many acquisitions about to close in Q3...
PM me, I'll be happy to help.
spill one or two oh wise one
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you dont.....
bench
Well, Alex stated not too long ago what he made, I have an income statement that says otherwise, but thats besides the point.
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Well, Alex stated not too long ago what he made, I have an income statement that says otherwise, but thats besides the point.
Not to mention you have two decent sized jump ropes.
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spill one or two oh wise one
PMed to a couple already:
lots of merger and acquisitions going on this quarter:
TDC bought by HPQ: my guess from what I heard is 50/50 to close by Q4, or early Q1 11
INFA bought by ORCL: 75% chance of closing by the end of the year
Netezza will get acquired in 3-4 months, there's about 5 vendors on the line, this is a done deal.
TIBCO (TBX), oracle or SAP... definitely going...
EMC, huge HW upgrade cycle coming in; also Vmware is selling like hotcakes, earnings will soar by end of year..
Max Linear (MXL) just about to release new chipset for power management on handhelds (OEM by qualcomm, do the math) my EOY target is high 20's
Ford (F), many say already priced in but in the recent couple of weeks stock has been beaten down regardless of the company's outlook. Similar to what happened over a year ago.
I also like BofA... always beaten down too much in downtrends and always bouces back. Chose your valleys, sell at peaks.
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Not to mention you have two decent sized jump ropes.
HAHAHA
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Well, Alex stated not too long ago what he made, I have an income statement that says otherwise, but thats besides the point.
What are you trying to say Coach? You got your hands on my taxes?
throw some numbers Coach, I'm honest enough to tell you where you stand relatively... it's no biggie...
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PMed to a couple already:
lots of merger and acquisitions going on this quarter:
TDC bought by HPQ: my guess from what I heard is 50/50 to close by Q4, or early Q1 11
INFA bought by ORCL: 75% chance of closing by the end of the year
Netezza will get acquired in 3-4 months, there's about 5 vendors on the line, this is a done deal.
TIBCO (TBX), oracle or SAP... definitely going...
EMC, huge HW upgrade cycle coming in; also Vmware is selling like hotcakes, earnings will soar by end of year..
Max Linear (MXL) just about to release new chipset for power management on handhelds (OEM by qualcomm, do the math) my EOY target is high 20's
Ford (F), many say already priced in but in the recent couple of weeks stock has been beaten down regardless of the company's outlook. Similar to what happened over a year ago.
I also like BofA... always beaten down too much in downtrends and always bouces back. Chose your valleys, sell at peaks.
thanks i like F alot
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Alex schooling the young ones here myself included, thank you for the tips King23! Not sure how to get into this stock market though ???
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I wish you all the best chief doubt it's true... at 50+, no one with a straight mind would do what you do unless they have to... think about it; think about where you are and where people with your (claimed) income range usually are decision and influence wise...
Alex, we need to one thing straight here bud, I chose to do this like you chose your field, doesn't matter if someone shovels shit, or is an executive as long as they can provide for their family. I worked hard, we live a nice life, wife doesn't have to work, kid is in private school and for the most part our bills are paid off with the exception of our home. I have some investments and a 2nd home in Palm Springs. We also have a boat that we write off as a home as well (yes, that is legal) and a retirement plan in place although I don't believe in retirement. It's a matter of what you make of it.
My schedule allows my to basically do what ever the fuck I want, anytime I want. My Son has NEVER said "dad is always at work and I hardly see him" (the main reason why I do what I do.)
Now, as far as what I do for a living? You think it's easy? Here's just ONE challenge for you. Design a team strength program (80 kids) separated by positions and don't forget to take injuries into consideration and how to handle that particular injury. Separate by days and when to schedule (strength, speed and conditioning). Did I mention that's just ONE team. When you're done with that I have another 2 teams that total about 110 kids (football and wrestling) and that program needs to be complete by Tuesday.
So, if you just think I'm teaching men "how to lift weights" feel free to have my week but remember, I CHOSE this and I love it. BTW, those teams? That's in addition to my regular biz.
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Not to mention you have two decent sized jump ropes.
LOL, that as funny.
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What are you trying to say Coach? You got your hands on my taxes?
throw some numbers Coach, I'm honest enough to tell you where you stand relatively... it's no biggie...
Dude, I'm only going by a post I remember not too long ago that you wrote. I don't vengeance by digging into peoples personal lives. Only whats on here.
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Did I mention I hate waring suits?
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Alex, we need to one thing straight here bud, I chose to do this like you chose your field, doesn't matter if someone shovels shit, or is an executive as long as they can provide for their family. I worked hard, we live a nice life, wife doesn't have to work, kid is in private school and for the most part our bills are paid off with the exception of our home. I have some investments and a 2nd home in Palm Springs. We also have a boat that we write off as a home as well (yes, that is legal) and a retirement plan in place although I don't believe in retirement. It's a matter of what you make of it.
My schedule allows my to basically do what ever the fuck I want, anytime I want. My Son has NEVER said "dad is always at work and I hardly see him" (the main reason why I do what I do.)
Now, as far as what I do for a living? You think it's easy? Here's just ONE challenge for you. Design a team strength program (80 kids) separated by positions and don't forget to take injuries into consideration and how to handle that particular injury. Separate by days and when to schedule (strength, speed and conditioning). Did I mention that's just ONE team. When you're done with that I have another 2 teams that total about 110 kids (football and wrestling) and that program needs to be complete by Tuesday.
So, if you just think I'm teaching men "how to lift weights" feel free to have my week but remember, I CHOSE this and I love it. BTW, those teams? That's in addition to my regular biz.
No disrespected intended coach.. to each his own. Thanks for taking time to reply and inspire others.
I guess I should stop reading the www.muscleweak.com getbigtwo.com forum..it makes me think all bodybuilding involved ppl are douches injecting drugs all day and hustling which would make your own success you described above, well impossible... .
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Did I mention I hate waring suits?
no, you hate buying them......it must be tough for you to have to buy childrens suits due to your height ;D
bench
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no, you hate buying them......it must be tough for you to have to buy childrens suits due to your height ;D
bench
They don't have short fat stores :-\
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No disrespected intended coach.. to each his own. Thanks for taking time to reply and inspire others.
I guess I should stop reading the www.muscleweak.com getbigtwo.com forum..it makes me think all bodybuilding involved ppl are douches injecting drugs all day ad hustling which would make your own success you described above, well impossible... .
No problem.
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They don't have short fat stores :-\
yes they do.....the company is called "Dockers"...
bench
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What are you trying to say Coach? You got your hands on my taxes?
throw some numbers Coach, I'm honest enough to tell you where you stand relatively... it's no biggie...
Good game, I'll take winner
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Alex, we need to one thing straight here bud, I chose to do this like you chose your field, doesn't matter if someone shovels shit, or is an executive as long as they can provide for their family. I worked hard, we live a nice life, wife doesn't have to work, kid is in private school and for the most part our bills are paid off with the exception of our home. I have some investments and a 2nd home in Palm Springs. We also have a boat that we write off as a home as well (yes, that is legal) and a retirement plan in place although I don't believe in retirement. It's a matter of what you make of it.
My schedule allows my to basically do what ever the fuck I want, anytime I want. My Son has NEVER said "dad is always at work and I hardly see him" (the main reason why I do what I do.)
Now, as far as what I do for a living? You think it's easy? Here's just ONE challenge for you. Design a team strength program (80 kids) separated by positions and don't forget to take injuries into consideration and how to handle that particular injury. Separate by days and when to schedule (strength, speed and conditioning). Did I mention that's just ONE team. When you're done with that I have another 2 teams that total about 110 kids (football and wrestling) and that program needs to be complete by Tuesday.
So, if you just think I'm teaching men "how to lift weights" feel free to have my week but remember, I CHOSE this and I love it. BTW, those teams? That's in addition to my regular biz.
that sounds like the easiest job ever. congrats, glad it pays you well..
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PMed to a couple already:
lots of merger and acquisitions going on this quarter:
TDC bought by HPQ: my guess from what I heard is 50/50 to close by Q4, or early Q1 11
INFA bought by ORCL: 75% chance of closing by the end of the year
Netezza will get acquired in 3-4 months, there's about 5 vendors on the line, this is a done deal.
TIBCO (TBX), oracle or SAP... definitely going...
EMC, huge HW upgrade cycle coming in; also Vmware is selling like hotcakes, earnings will soar by end of year..
Max Linear (MXL) just about to release new chipset for power management on handhelds (OEM by qualcomm, do the math) my EOY target is high 20's
Ford (F), many say already priced in but in the recent couple of weeks stock has been beaten down regardless of the company's outlook. Similar to what happened over a year ago.
I also like BofA... always beaten down too much in downtrends and always bouces back. Chose your valleys, sell at peaks.
you should stick to investing in things you know about. stocks you KNOW will rise. i wouldnt put a penny in ford. bofa is a tossup and thus not worth a risk.
inside information is the only way to trade.. just depends on how "inside" it actually is..
How to get rich - by a broke 20 y.o.
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Ok tbombz, figure it out if you think its so easy.
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you should stick to investing in things you know about. stocks you KNOW will rise. i wouldnt put a penny in ford. bofa is a tossup and thus not worth a risk.
inside information is the only way to trade.. just depends on how "inside" it actually is..
How to get rich - by a broke 20 y.o.
Well the first 4 I mentioned, is pretty much "insider"; I know how the business software and services works and see all the trends; the rest I can't really talk about it (legally :-X) but for me it's like rewinding a boxing match in slow motion...
F and BofA, analysis is more technical...
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Well the first 4 I mentioned, is pretty much "insider"; I know how the business software and services works and see all the trends; the rest I can't really talk about it (legally :-X) but for me it's like rewinding a boxing match in slow motion...
F and BofA, is more technical...
exactly
yoru just speculating on ford and bofa, using the same info that everyone else has. really zero potential for any big gain there.
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I personally don't see this is an extended lag in the markets, I have enjoyed taking profits right now, and it's been very widely publicized/reported that a lot of people (mostly retail money and some less than stellar big money managers) missed the boat on most of the upside movement of the markets this past year. I don't see any reason not to think that this is the entry opportunity that a lot of this money has been waiting to see. Especially given that most of these problems are fiscal in nature. given the institutions that we've developed, such as the imf, world bank, etc etc it doesn't make much sense to me that we'd ever allow sovereign debt to collapse our financial system....not anytime soon at least...we would have to see a default which would trigger a chain reaction, which is still entirely possible, although unlikely I think.
I did some buying today, which I'll continue to do in increments as this market moves down/levels out. From a valuation perspective, there are some things that are becoming quite attractive right now.
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alex23 <bud fox=gordon geckko....
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I personally don't see this is an extended lag in the markets, I have enjoyed taking profits right now, and it's been very widely publicized/reported that a lot of people (mostly retail money and some less than stellar big money managers) missed the boat on most of the upside movement of the markets this past year. I don't see any reason not to think that this is the entry opportunity that a lot of this money has been waiting to see. Especially given that most of these problems are fiscal in nature. given the institutions that we've developed, such as the imf, world bank, etc etc it doesn't make much sense to me that we'd ever allow sovereign debt to collapse our financial system....not anytime soon at least...we would have to see a default which would trigger a chain reaction, which is still entirely possible, although unlikely I think.
I did some buying today, which I'll continue to do in increments as this market moves down/levels out. From a valuation perspective, there are some things that are becoming quite attractive right now.
abvsolutely.. i always tellpeople.. yeah we owe china.. but whose gonna make us pay?? hahahah.. the time to buy was yesterday
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alex23 <bud fox=gordon geckko....
Fuck I wish... ;D
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abvsolutely.. i always tellpeople.. yeah we owe china.. but whose gonna make us pay?? hahahah.. the time to buy was yesterday
I see a lot of people listening to their cheap 60k a year sunlife reps that bat -1000.
I'll use my guy for structuring a capital gains escape route.
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I see a lot of people listening to their cheap 60k a year sunlife reps that bat -1000.
I'll use my guy for structuring a capital gains escape route.
How does long term vs short term cap gain works up north? I recall taxes were outrageous.. like 52% on short term gains...
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Alex23, what's the chance of Ron making a business forum to discuss these issues?
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I bought several kilos of gold this year....I hope this turns out to be a good investimate....
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Alex23, what's the chance of Ron making a business forum to discuss these issues?
That would be a great idea my friend. Unfortunately, as of now, these threads usually get slammed under the politics boards with is managed by tools who probably poop blood daily...
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How does long term vs short term cap gain works up north? I recall taxes were outrageous.. like 52% on short term gains...
The more I speak on this the more I have the urge to go out drinking. 43% past year, for me is great!
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That would be a great idea my friend. Unfortunately, as of now, these threads usually get slammed under the politics boards with is managed by tools who probably poop blood daily...
Really never even been to that board. I'd love a business board! Funny I rarely find a guy that trains as much as I do, diets, etc.. but that also runs a business or basically has real intelligence. Other than all of you fine gentelmen of course ;D
I actually believe I owe a lot of success to training, dieting,
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Alex23, what's the chance of Ron making a business forum to discuss these issues?
Been there for years.........
http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?board=42.0
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what about when you recommended GM?
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Been there for years.........
http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?board=42.0
Damn it, you're right. i usually navigate using 'unread posts', so I click through assuming I'm in G&O.
Now, I must ask, 'Why is this in G&O?' LOL
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The market is overpriced 40% easy and due for a correction. Consumers aren't spending and government injections are running out. The healthcare reform passed this year had nothing to do with people, left, right, dem/conservative. It had to do with flooding the market with public monies...something the Bush admin couldn't do with the Social Security in 05. The market/ponzi scheme requires constant incremental feedings and if people wont do it willingly and the Fed won't print it to death the government will mandate it from Joe public.
It's a house of cards and the average investor has no business in the market these days, what we've been seeing since 07 follows no markey rules. 80% of market holdings now come from four major players and they short for political pressure.
Gold, silver, stored food, fuel.
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exactly
yoru just speculating on ford and bofa, using the same info that everyone else has. really zero potential for any big gain there.
its all in the timing, for instance if you had bought Ford during the auto bailout crisis thing when it reached a low of like $1.20 or something, you could have sold it like 2 months later and made 3-4 times profit because it ended up rebounding fairly quickly. at the time Ford was one of those rare 'for sure' ones. nowdays, idk i dont follow it anymore.
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investing is always easy when you already have money.
good job pointing out how 'rich' you are yet again ::)
All you need is $5000 and some good analysis of the US indexes and stocks.
Wait till an overbought condition exists and short the index.
How? Prices keep hitting tops, falling, hitting top again, falling.
The Dow went up to 11200 late april now its crashing to 10200
You can turn $5k into $20k in a matter of weeks, just do 'your time'
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what about when you recommended GM?
What about it? Did you sell when I said so?
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The stock market is the biggest insiders game. Sure you can make thousands but this game is for those that make billions. These fuckers, primarily the jews team up, buy stock then a few months later you hear all of these stories on CNN and 60 minutes about the next big thing, everyone jumps in, raises the price and the original fuckers sell all for billions leaving you holding your nuts wondering what the fuck just happened.
It's amazing how a company that makes $1 million a year can be worth $1 one day on the stock market and $100 million the next. There is no reason why that should happen. It is pure bullshit manipulation.
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its all in the timing, for instance if you had bought Ford during the auto bailout crisis thing when it reached a low of like $1.20 or something, you could have sold it like 2 months later and made 3-4 times profit because it ended up rebounding fairly quickly. at the time Ford was one of those rare 'for sure' ones. nowdays, idk i dont follow it anymore.
Life is all timing!! Success, stocks everything. One of my favorite books of the past 2 years has been Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell hits the nail on this head.
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That would be a great idea my friend. Unfortunately, as of now, these threads usually get slammed under the politics boards with is managed by tools who probably poop blood daily...
nothing wrong with a little blood in your stool.
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The stock market is the biggest insiders game. Sure you can make thousands but this game is for those that make billions. These fuckers, primarily the jews team up, buy stock then a few months later you hear all of these stories on CNN and 60 minutes about the next big thing, everyone jumps in, raises the price and the original fuckers sell all for billions leaving you holding your nuts wondering what the fuck just happened.
It's amazing how a company that makes $1 million a year can be worth $1 one day on the stock market and $100 million the next. There is no reason why that should happen. It is pure bullshit manipulation.
yes, this.
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good stuff. where is the street guy w/the Cessna from the financial boards to confirm these buy/sell recommendations?
(http://elitechoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/cessna_jet_00.jpg)
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Alex, Give me a job which pays me 2000$ a month and Im good. I can be your swedish translator, you never know when you need one! ;D
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Alex, Give me a job which pays me 2000$ a month and Im good. I can be your swedish translator, you never know when you need one! ;D
is healthcare like states or uk in sweden? if like the first...then i can help you out.
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_81PKam910SY/S7uYZIB3V7I/AAAAAAAAA1Q/3tE76BrA470/s1600/SwedishBikiniTeam.jpg)
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is healthcare like states or uk in sweden? if like the first...then i can help you out.
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_81PKam910SY/S7uYZIB3V7I/AAAAAAAAA1Q/3tE76BrA470/s1600/SwedishBikiniTeam.jpg)
we have amazing healthcare :)
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jut got off the phone with my uncle cause he had a custom bracelet for sale and I had soemone to buy it. He told me he sold some of his gold last week when it was at a high of $1256 an ounce. He took all the diamonds out of the pieces he decided to get rid of and was just shy of 48 ounces. He owns no stock I think though
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Actually he does own at least 1 share of Disney stock. Our friend every year used to buy one share of Disney Stock and give that out for a present. It was something that was cool cause the certificates look really cool. I had and lost it.
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Alex, Give me a job which pays me 2000$ a month and Im good. I can be your swedish translator, you never know when you need one! ;D
Can you clean soiled posing trunks?
I could use a translator too.. couple of Swedish chicks at work would be cool to impress. ;D
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Can you clean soiled posing trunks?
I could use a translator too.. couple of Swedish chicks at work would be cool to impress. ;D
for 2k a month Im your man. (no homo)
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PMed to a couple already:
lots of merger and acquisitions going on this quarter:
TDC bought by HPQ: my guess from what I heard is 50/50 to close by Q4, or early Q1 11
INFA bought by ORCL: 75% chance of closing by the end of the year
Netezza will get acquired in 3-4 months, there's about 5 vendors on the line, this is a done deal.
TIBCO (TBX), oracle or SAP... definitely going...
EMC, huge HW upgrade cycle coming in; also Vmware is selling like hotcakes, earnings will soar by end of year..
Max Linear (MXL) just about to release new chipset for power management on handhelds (OEM by qualcomm, do the math) my EOY target is high 20's
Ford (F), many say already priced in but in the recent couple of weeks stock has been beaten down regardless of the company's outlook. Similar to what happened over a year ago.
I also like BofA... always beaten down too much in downtrends and always bouces back. Chose your valleys, sell at peaks.
listen to King23..
Chiefs of staff, Don't wait.... take action before it's too late....
http://msn.fool.com/investing/general/2010/05/25/finding-the-next-tech-takeover-stock.aspx?logvisit=y&source=eedmsnlnk0010001&published=2010-05-25
By Alex Dumortier, CFA
May 25, 2010 | Comments (0)
The tech industry's mergers-and-acquistion boom has begun. So far in May, tech companies worldwide have announced a total of $16.1 billion in buyout deals. Now, the CEOs of two of the industry's largest, most acquisitive companies have detailed their growth strategies -- and helped me zero in on two potential targets for their next takeovers.
Oracle: Consolidating the bet on Sun
In an interview with Reuters, Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) CEO Larry Ellison made it clear that his company's sticking to its highly acquisitive ways. Buying Sun Microsystems gave Oracle a presence in the hardware market. Now, Ellison seeks deals that will build on that approach, adding semiconductor, storage and data technologies to his shopping list.
Last Thursday, Oracle announced that it was acquiring private company Secerno, which provides firewalls that protect databases -- Oracle's and others.
IBM: Software is the new priority
While Oracle fortifies its hardware efforts, IBM (NYSE: IBM) CEO Samuel Palmisano announced that his company is now focused on building its software business. He wants IBM to get half of all its pre-tax profits from software by 2015.
Palmisano seems particularly interested in data analytics software, which allows companies and governments to make sense of the mountains of data they generate. As with Oracle, acquisitions will be crucial to this new focus.
"In five years we will spend more on acquisitions than the previous 10 years," said Palmisano. IBM expects to spend $20 billion on deals between 2011 and 2015. The company didn't waste much time getting started. Yesterday, IBM announced that it will purchase Sterling Commerce from AT&T for $1.4 billion.
In light of these developments, I've found two companies that I believe are high-probability acquisition candidates, either by Oracle, IBM or another tech major.
Informatica (Nasdaq: INFA)
Informatica's software helps corporate clients with data integration -- the ability to access and use data stored on different platforms across the company. Takeover rumors have followed the company for several years, usually with Oracle as the likely suitor. However, the timing and strategic rationale for acquiring Informatica looks more favorable now. Oracle has had time to reorganize Sun, and it's now marketing 'appliances' that bundle hardware, software, and databases, a strategy that plays to Informatica's capabilities.
As the largest independent software firm in its market, Informatica has the scale that Oracle requires. But at a relatively modest $2.3 billion market cap, Oracle could easily pay cash to snap up the company.
Teradata (NYSE: TDC)
ATM manufacturer NCR spun off Teradata in October 2007. The company focuses on data warehousing and analytics, helping customers turn mounds of raw data into useful information they can act upon. Teradata is well-respected for the sophistication of its applications, with a roster of blue-chip clients; for example, the company helped Wal-Mart discover that strawberry Pop-Tarts sold particularly well in hurricane-prone regions.
While Teradata may be less attractive to Oracle than Informatica, I think it's a perfect fit with IBM's new orientation. Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) might also pay up for Teradata; HP CEO Mark Hurd spent three years heading it up when it was still a unit of NCR. As with Informatica, any one of these three suitors could pay for Teradata in cash, given its $5.2 billion market cap.
Final thoughts
In a volatile economy, megacap tech companies' massive piles of cash give them greater security, and greater freedom to act. If anything, the market's recent slump could make the companies they want to buy even cheaper. I believe that the tech sector's kicked off an important M&A cycle, driven by companies' relentless need to fuel their growth and put their cash hoards to good use. I also suspect that companies specializing in application and systems software will most often find themselves on larger rivals' menus.
Given their respected positions in their industries, and their just-right sizes for hungry buyers, I'd rank Teradata and Informatica among the most likely targets. If neither one receives a takeover bid within the next 12 months, I'll be very surprised.