SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 18 (Reuters) – Intel Corp forecast
quarterly revenue above Wall Street’s expectations, defying
concerns that the growing popularity of tablets and a shaky
economy are eating into demand for personal computers.

Intel shares moved sharply higher after the company beat
earnings expectations and said developing countries like China
are fueling demand and helping make up for slower growth in the
United States and Europe.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – IBM’s quarterly results failed to impress investors used to a stellar showing from Big Blue, adding to concerns about lackluster corporate IT spending and dragging its stock down more than 3 percent.

The company’s earnings beat forecasts and it increased its 2011 earnings-per-share outlook but it faced a high hurdle after recent strong reports from Oracle and Accenture, and analysts focused on slower expansion in key regions and businesses.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 17 (Reuters) – IBM’s quarterly revenue
and services signings barely met Wall Street forecasts,
underscoring investors’ fears about slower information
technology spending and depressing its stock more than 3
percent.

IBM, a bellwether for the IT hardware sector with its
global span and diverse clientele, needed to beat forecasts
significantly to ease investors’ concerns, analysts said.

WASHINGTON/SANTA CLARA, California (Reuters) – When U.S. restrictions on work permits barred Intel from moving nearly 50 Finnish engineers to the United States this year, the microchip maker reluctantly parked them in a new research center in Finland.

U.S. and multinational firms are chafing at delays and difficulties securing visas that effectively require them to keep high-skilled workers abroad instead of expanding operations in the United States.

, Oct 16 (Reuters) – When
U.S. restrictions on work permits barred Intel (INTC.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) from
moving nearly 50 Finnish engineers to the United States this
year, the microchip maker reluctantly parked them in a new
research center in Finland.

U.S. and multinational firms are chafing at delays and
difficulties securing visas that effectively require them to
keep high-skilled workers abroad instead of expanding
operations in the United States.

Oct 14 (Reuters) – Big U.S. Internet computing companies
should outshine their plainer PC cousins when earnings season
kicks off next week, as corporations and fast-growing Web
players dramatically accelerate their pace of hardware
spending.

Corporations are increasingly turning to new technology to
make themselves more productive in a downtrodden global
economy. Meanwhile, a social networking and e-commerce boom is
spurring massive outlays on the giant server factories that
power Internet computing.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 5 (Reuters) – Technology giant Oracle
Corp (ORCL.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) has developed an ambitious array of cloud
computing services in a bid to catch up with Amazon.com Inc and
Salesforce.com Inc (CRM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), two leaders in the field.

The offerings were unveiled by an enthusiastic Oracle Chief
Executive Larry Ellison, a contrast to his attitude at an
investor meeting several years ago when he mocked cloud
computing as a financial analyst asked him what his strategy
was for expanding into that area.

SAN FRANCISCO/BOSTON (Reuters) – The increasingly bitter rivalry between technology giant Oracle Corp and faster-growing challenger Salesforce.com Inc erupted at Oracle’s annual user’s conference as the two companies feuded over the timing of a speech.

The brouhaha began late on Tuesday night, when Salesforce Chief Executive Marc Benioff Tweeted that Oracle had abruptly canceled a speech he was due to make Wednesday on “cloud” computing. Benioff gathered his audience anyway at a nearby hotel restaurant and gave his talk.