As Microsoft continues its struggle for relevance in Internet services, the latest numbers seem to tell a confusing story. Depending on the headline you read, Microsoft is either treading water or losing ground to Google. A closer look at two takes on the Microsoft search share show that it’s a half-full/half-empty situation with a worrisome long-term trend.
Based on Neilsen data, SearchEngineWatch is saying that Microsoft and Yahoo have lost ground in the past year. Most of that lost traffic has gone to Google; the search giant gained 8 percent year-over-year, while Microsoft and Yahoo lost 19 percent and 12 percent, respectively. Even if you were to combine the search share of Yahoo and Microsoft, it would be less than half of Google’s share.
Perhaps it is time that Microsoft (and Yahoo! for that matter) admitted defeat in the dot.com arena ?
Read the full story on Informationweek.com
Online Investment
Google, Internet, Microsoft, Online Investment
Reporting from San Francisco — Billionaire investor Carl Icahn spurred a rally in Yahoo Inc. shares Friday after he disclosed that he had increased his stake in the struggling Internet company.
The company’s stock surged 93 cents, or nearly 9%, to $11.51 in the shortened trading session after Icahn, a Yahoo board member who has been pushing a strategy shift or a sale to Microsoft Corp., said he had bought about 6.8 million shares.
Perhaps it is not all over afterall for dot.com giant Yahoo! ? The article goes on :
A Securities and Exchange Commission filing showed that Icahn had paid an average of $9.88 a share from Monday through Wednesday, boosting his holdings by about $67 million. The purchases gave Icahn a nearly 5.5% stake in Yahoo, worth about $870 million based on Friday’s closing price.
This is the first time that he has significantly upped his stake in Yahoo. Icahn, who couldn’t be reached for comment, is one of the loudest voices calling for a change in its direction. He and two of his picks became directors in an August settlement that ended a bruising proxy fight.
To read the full article from Los Angeles Times
click here.
Investment News
Carl Icahn, Internet, Yahoo!
