Barrons has an article regarding Amazon-Nokia stratigic initiative.  This may benefit Amazon more than Nokia, but it should also generate revenue for Nokia.  Maybe sooner than I thought.  Article also mentions that Amazon should bid for Broadsoft, however, it looks like CSCO has gotten ahead of Amazon, as it just announced a deal to buy Broadsoft.  I figure BSFT could see a bidding war.

barrons.com/ar...A&

lt cap,

I'm just wondering, with all the players who are in the cloud space arena, whether margins will be thin, given the competition and the degree to which cloud space is a commodity; or whether the growth and ever-increasing demand for storage space means that there's enough 'pie' for everyone,, it's just a question of how big a slice a given player may garner. (And of course, I hope they're all using INTC's CPUs - altho hardware players like NVDA and AMD etc. aren't going to take anything INTC does lying down.)

On Broadsoft, I thought the announcement today of CSCO's buying them was a done deal. Are you saying that if someone else comes in with a higher bid, that the company is still in play? Read a brief story that acknowledged that it was a good acquisition for CSCO, but question whether they overpaid making it a value-questionable proposition. From CSCO's price movement, the street obviously thinks it is, but the street is often a dotard on valuation.

Re BSFT. There is and agreement between CSCO and BSFT, but if a new and higher bid takes place (an analyst makes the case that AMZN should bid for BSFT). The BoD of BSFT is supposed to consideer all bids, it is their fiduciary duty. 

INTC cotinues to move higher, I suppose expectations are high for this quarter. 

"INTC cotinues to move higher, I suppose expectations are high for this quarter. "

Typical follow-through from making a new high imo. As for why it made that high, yeah I don't know. I'm not complaining though. It's my "hold this instead of cash which earns almost no interest" position.

INTC is a good dividend payer indeed, and as you say, it beats the bank handily

Acutually, INTC's dividend at this point doesn't beat all banks equally. There is a credit union that will pay either 2.32% or 2.78% on a 30 month CD, but the offer is likely to be closed soon, according to sources. If anyone's really interested, PM me and I'll give you the details/roadmap to funding it. NCUA insured, hard to lose money on that, unless, (any decade now) inflation comes roaring back with a vengeance.

INTC is like riding the tiger - does one dare dismount?

I read one reason why NOK may be in retreat - the general expectation seems to be that networking revs, which constitute 90% of their business, may be -6% when they report, which on the cover of it looks pretty ugly. If that's the case, as we've said, I sure hope Suri has some good news down the road to promise.

I am increasingly impressed with INTC's neural network chip (which you posted a week or so ago), I think it really stands a good chance to compete. Maybe management has now a solid path forward in this new field.

Forgot to post the link to a Barron's article that talks about Intel's Neural network chip:

barrons.com/ar...b_dr_h

lt cap,

Given the 'street cred' you have with me, I take your posts as the 'sober voice of reality' when you write of INTC and its challenges. So, your positive view of the neural net chip is one cause for optimism (thanks for the link/article.) While all companies partner with others to leverage talents, I see INTC as being particularly good at that. Their announced marriages to 'wives' probably outnumbers all the Mormons in Utah. I also see such partnerships as signs of the validity of the technology INTC is bringing to the table - if it looks like the 'dog won't hunt', nobody is going to go to the alter with INTC (sorry - mixed metaphor.) And, like the partnership with Micron (or in their own sole endeavors), they're pretty good at pulling rabbits out of the hat - I think Optane memory is going to cover not all sins, but a fair hedge against some of them, as I expects revs from that to be around for a long time - we seem to be at the dawn of the next 'age' of solid state memory. But you're much more IT connected, and you'd actually know a lot more about the technical merits of that.

As to the market - days like this get nauseating for a portfolio. Everyone says the market is due for a 'pause', at the least. But today's disappointment is unfolding in the face of eanings overall being pretty positive so far. I'm hoping 'market denial' is still intact, since if earnings are upbeat in the aggregate, perhaps the market will feel reassured that these lofty valuations have some justification. (I'm not advocating that semi-delusional position, just sayin' how the market might keep the delusion intact for now.)

Jamok,

AI will be huge, so I think INTC's acquisition of this Neural Network chip company last year is extremely timely.  Good thing too that it releases at year end.  I think just about every gadget, cars, houses, you name it, will have AI capabilities.