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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| tuxchick May 12, 2009 3:33 PM EDT |
Here is a story that doesn't require a subscription, or a mainframe just to process WSJ's cr@ppy scripting:
http://money.cnn.com/2009/05/11/technology/microsoft_corpora... The CNN article says "As of the end of March, Microsoft reportedly had cash and short-term investments worth $25.3 billion." Funny what short memories these professional journalists have-- remember how the accepted figure used to be $60 billion? Don't you think that a discrepancy of that size should spark a bit of curiosity? Where did all that money go? Why is Microsoft seeking outside financing when they are sitting on a pile of cash the size of a small moon? Well this little primate is always curious, and I found this article from 2008: http://www.seattlepi.com/business/361743_software05.html "Microsoft has reduced its cash balance to $26.3 billion through large stock buybacks, dividends and acquisitions. The balance was more than $64 billion less than four years ago. "...Keeping too much cash on the balance sheet can raise eyebrows among investors, who often want companies to reinvest the cash in the business -- where it holds the promise of a greater financial return -- or to return the money to shareholders through dividends or stock buybacks." Ok, so maybe it's no big deal, just good money management. But then I never trusted the $60 billion figure because it was thrown around as carelessly as other bogus figures, like "Linux is less than 1%" and "Linux netbooks have a 4x higher return rate". |
| bigg May 12, 2009 4:51 PM EDT |
But your forgetting that it's Microsoft, so things like profit and cash on hand are irrelevant. They've got a high market share, so none of this other stuff matters. |
| qcimushroom May 12, 2009 6:20 PM EDT |
The only thing that Microsoft seems to be good at is marketing itself. With this sale of bonds and all the layoffs that Microsoft has recently announced, I view this a sign that the ...... empire is weakening. |
| tuxchick May 12, 2009 9:19 PM EDT |
qcimushroom, that's what I was thinking. |
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