Software companies raised a near record amount of cash in the first half of the year, with some analysts suggesting it indicates the hot IPO market will keep sizzling. Venture capital and other private equity investors poured more than $10 billion into software firms in the first six months of 2014 — the most since 2000, when software companies raised a record $13.6 billion in the first half, says a study released Friday by PricewaterhouseCoopers
IBM late Thursday reported better-than-expected Q2 revenue and earnings, but year-over-year sales fell for the ninth consecutive quarter and IBM stock slipped in after-hours trading. IBM’s (IBM) Q2 revenue of $24.4 billion was down 2% from the year-earlier period, but it still beat analyst consensus estimates of $24.1 billion, as polled by Thomson Reuters. It marked IBM’s first revenue beat in six quarters. The broad-based tech vendor reported
Apple (AAPL) is unlikely to bid for Time Warner or make a major content acquisition of that size, says BMO Capital Markets in a research report analyzing whether others might join 21st Century Fox (FOXA) in pursuing Time Warner. Time Warner (TWX) on Wednesday confirmed that it had rejected Rupert Murdoch-controlled Fox’s $80 billion cash and stock offer for the company. Time Warner, though, might be open to a sale if more suitors surface, says BMO