At the begining of April, AOL said it had sold 800 of the company’s 1,100 patents to Microsoft for $1.056 billion. A few sources in the English press also stressed that Facebook wished to obtain these same patents before Microsoft did.

This is by implementing $1 billion that Microsoft has ultimately won the battle, surpassing it appears the proposal from the popular online community for buying these stated patents. While doing this transaction, Microsoft additionally obtained a non exclusive license to an additional 300 patents AOL. The Redmond monster could sell off some non-vital patents in its collection, which suggests that Facebook may be able to regain some.

The morning of the deal, Mark Zuckerberg confirmed the purchasing of Instagram for a similar sum of money. When the young CEO negotiated by himself purchasing the software for swapping pictures, his right-hand representative Sheryl Sandberg was in charge of discussions with AOL.

Last March, Facebook social network purchased 750 patents from International Business Machines to counter the offensive in court by Yahoo at their expense. “Big Blue” has over 70,000 patents, after the 6180 added to its arsenal in 2011.

In the battle that competes for tech giants to get their hands on some patents to try to dissuade trial and accusations of copyright infringement, Google also obtained patents from International Business Machines in August 2011, and 1203 additional patents in September 2011 at a price and terms hich were not disclosed.

Individuals preparing to travel or invest capital should be wise to keep watch on shifts in currency exchange rates. Variations in the industries around the globe may lead to rapid changes and unpredictability in the cost of foreign currencies over very short amounts of time. Ignoring the rates of change when looking to transfer capital to a alternative currency may result in surprising and sometime sizeable debts.

Financial investment is one legitimate reason to keep a close eye on the exchange rate but it’s not the sole reason for someone to need to exchange funds. By far the most typical purposes that many people will do this is for touring abroad. Regardless of the reason for the vacation, many travellers will opt to exchange their cash before they travel in order to get it ready to use at their holiday location. Nonetheless, the the right time of this can easily make a big difference as, based on the exchange rate, their spending power could vary. It is worth noting that the same can be applied when coming back and the cash needs to be converted again – an increase or a reduction can be made each way.

By being aware of the exchange rates as time goes by a individual has the knowledge to make a qualified judgment about when to switch their money, and how much to change. If the marketplace is enduring changes then it can be a smart idea to restrict the amount of foreign currency they are buying to reduce possible losses, although it might be prudent to make a larger exchange while they’re positive that they are obtaining a decent deal. For a person who is lacking time it’s still crucial to never forget that the exchange rate differs from each day so it’s still worth taking time over it. This most definitely includes when they are hanging around to switch foreign cash back into their own money: except for when there’s an urgent immediate need for the cash then waiting for the opportune time for the conversion will reduce losses.

Professionals are the 2nd party who require to be conscious of foreign exchange rates or quotes as they can be exchanged much like a stock and can produce a really good, if rather risky purchase to someone with the knowledge to invest. Anyone looking to take this path to investment must, however, be sure that they do some research in the longer term movements and go armed with the correct knowledge before they take on any risks. There’s money to be earned in foreign exchange for the cautious investor.

Despite the main reason for their exchange, any individual looking to trade in foreign exchange should watch the rates between their two currencies over time to be able to arm themselves with the details they require to prevent losses and profit from their investments.

Wall Street has taken an upward trend Thursday following a flurry of bad economic data boosting hopes of implementing a new round of quantitative easing (‘QE3′).

Quite late morning, the Dow Jones nibbles yet 0.1% to 13,037.8 points while the Nasdaq Composite 0.3% advance to 3041.4 points.

According to the Labor Department, the jobless claims have fallen back slightly to 386,000 last week, against 388,000 the previous week, where economists were expecting a more convincing decline to around 355,000.

Another disappointment, the index of industrial activity in the Philadelphia Fed has relapsed four points to 8.5 in April and sales of existing homes plunged 2.6%, while analysts were waiting up.

U.S. investors also keep a close eye on what happens in Europe, where the indices mark the Thursday following the sudden spread of a rumor to downgrade the credit of France.

For analysts of Saxo Bank, the world’s central banks will be forced to reconnect with their quantitative easing programs in the second quarter amid the uncertainties regarding the health of the economy.

Some good performances in values, especially on the Nasdaq, are also supporting the trend in New York.

eBay takes off 15.2% yesterday after unveiling better than expected earnings in the first quarter, driven in particular by its services business by legalizing payment and auctions on the Internet in several countries.

Side of biotech, Human Genome sees its value more than doubled after receiving an unsolicited offer from GlaxoSmithKline, which he considered still insufficient.

In terms of financial, Morgan Stanley wins 2.5% after having exceeded expectations in its first quarter, thanks to the good performance of its trading activities.

The U.S. stock markets are about to start the session on an uncertain note Friday, in the absence of economic indicators or any important events. Within a few minutes of opening, the futures contract on the S & P 500 crumbled a little to 1388 points, while Nasdaq 100 Future dropped to 2,732.25 points.

After three consecutive sessions of declines in the stock market, investors still seem determined to let the markets consolidate. The fear that Europe can fall into recession, while China sees growth slowing, has clearly affected the values ​​linked to commodities and oil in recent weeks.

As the Eurozone hardly solves an unprecedented crisis and advance towards recession, the United States differ in an economy in recovery with historical support, including American consumers.

Investors are now awaiting the publication of new home sales in the U.S. for the month of February, which will be unveiled around lunchtime. Economists expect a figure of 325,000, against 321,000 the previous month.

Yesterday, Nike released a net increase of 7% to $560 million for the third quarter 2011/2012 and earnings per share up 11% to $1.20, against $1.17 which was expected by analysts.

The computer giant International Business Machines (IBM stock price) is strengthening its presence in Africa through the expansion of its current offices in Mauritius, located southeast of the continent said, off the Indian ocean.

IBM leverages its ability to provide business solutions to customers in the region, which enjoys a very efficient economy powered by a growth rate of the largest in Africa.

The technology company, whose stock price (IBM) is currently trading near its annual summit of 205 USD, particularly benefits from the strong demand from the textile, banking, tourism, telecommunications and information technology.

International Business Machines (IBM) is active in Africa for over 60 years, and now has a physical presence in over 20 African countries

The firm Stern Agee begins coverage of the title Fellow of International Business Machines (IBM) with a buy recommendation supported a target of 230 USD, implying a potential yield of 19% over current of about 193 USD.

Such a target of 230 USD is based on a multiple price / earnings ratio of only 13.5 times earnings per share of 17.00 USD expected for fiscal 2013. The analyst Shaw Wu of Stern Agee also expressed the view that the goal of IBM to deliver earnings per share of $ 20.00 in 2015 remains in the realm of possibility.

Last November, the well-known investor Warren Buffett announced it had acquired 5.5% of the shares of computer giant has accumulated its position since March 2011. This online portfolio is equivalent to 64 million shares, and is a total investment of 10.7 billion USD, according to a unit price of about $ 170 share.

At the end of October 2011, International Business Machines (IBM) had announced an increase in its share buyback program for cancellation, mentioning provide a new authorization request to the Board to this effect in April 2012. Indeed, Warren Buffett said to appreciate the fact that the company as much money back to shareholders.

The market capitalization of software giant now stands at nearly 224 billion USD. The share price has traded in a range between $ 151.71 and $ 194.90 US US in the last year

Last August, The New York Post quoted two sources familiar with the case which the game publisher Zynga wanted to delay its IPO. But, Reuters and Business Insider reported that the date would be between 17 and 24 November and they were correct.

Last May, Business Insider reported that Zynga could already opt for a quick introduction on the stock market, so to benefit from increased demand for shares of LinkedIn and Yandex. Meanwhile, Bloomberg noted that a proportion of less than 10% of the Zynga stock could be offered at the initial public offering. The popular game publisher therefore provide only a small percentage of its ownership to investors, thus offering the advantage of retaining control over his destiny, while creating a scarcity effect sufficient to blow its stock price.

Of through this highly anticipated IPO, leaders Zynga seeking funding of between 1.5 billion to 2 billion USD, for a value estimated at 15 to 20 billion USD.

However, a number of risks on the profitability of the company. Thus, a deterioration of business relationships with Facebook could generate significant revenue loss. In addition, a small percentage of players account for the majority of group revenue. Bloomberg points to a low percentage of active players (1%) were responsible for the majority of group revenue, a significant proportion of anywhere between 25% to 50%

While European markets take a break today after new highs at the start of session, the Dow Jones is expected to open slightly lower than 0.1% this afternoon. Operators should therefore opt for caution before the President’s speech at the Federal Reserve, even if the statistics of the day are a little better than expected. The weekly jobless claims came out at 367K while the market waited for 373K and productivity increased by 0.7% while the consensus is 1%.
DOW JONES index finished the session up 0.66% at 12,716 points.

Technically, an upward bias is currently privileged Hourly Data above 12,670 points, crossing of moving averages 20 and 50 hours. In the very short term, then monitor the output of 12670/12780 points to act in one way or the other. A top out of this range would indeed require the rallying points 12830/12875 fast. In contrast, under the 12,670 points, there should be the beginning of a consolidation towards 12,560 points and 12,475 points.

Futures prices this morning have slightly reduced their lead to 14:30 after the release of the ADP survey in the private sector below expectations. 170K jobs were created while the consensus is 189K. At 16h, will still be released the ISM manufacturing index and construction spending, and oil stocks at 16.30.
The U.S. index that finished down slightly from 0.16% to 12,632 points yesterday, is now expected to rise 0.5%.

Technically, the DOW JONES is horizontal consolidation phase for several sessions within the trading range 12560/12710 points. A top out of the zone of indecision would require buy-fast 12,760 points and 12,830 points. In contrast, under the 12,560 points, we can probably expect a downward acceleration with 12,475 points and 12,315 points in sight.

U.S. markets opened up Tuesday after a positive start of earnings season in the U.S. with prospects looking better than expected for Alcoa.

A few minutes before the opening, the future contract on the S & P 500 13.25 points to 1288.75 wins points, while Nasdaq 100 Future takes 23 points to 2369.75 points.

The scores posted all over Europe (+1% to +2.8%) also contribute to the climate of optimism that moved to New York.

Alcoa stock price jumped more than 3% in pre-market quotes. The aluminum giant reported on last night of a loss on the quarter, mainly due to restructuring, and rather reassuring outlook for the coming year.

The group estimated that global demand for aluminum is expected to grow 7% throughout the year, following growth of 12% in 2011.

Tiffany is however expected to decline by 8% after the downward revision of its earnings estimates for the full year ending.

Eastman Kodak will reduce the number of branches to two against three above, to accelerate its shift to digital, return to profitability and create value for its shareholders.

The timing statistics remain scarce today, with wholesale inventories for November, expected up 0.5% on average, after rising by 1.6% in October.

Europe will once again decide in how Wall Street will change this week, culminating in a European summit expected to make a definitive solution to the debt crisis that has shaken the euro area for nearly two years.

Last week, the U.S. stock market recorded its best performance since March 2009 in favor of such hopes for this crisis finally resolved.

If all goes according to plan concocted by Paris and Berlin, the EU has indeed made a big step towards a union budget Friday night, with agreement on a change of European treaties including greater fiscal discipline of the 17 countries the euro area.

Previously, according to this ideal scenario, the European Central Bank (ECB) will be on Thursday once again lowered its interest rates to avoid a relapse into recession and to give some air to banks experiencing difficulties in refinance.

But this happy outcome to the crisis is far from certain as Berlin and Paris still differ on the proper role of the ECB and how to control the budgets of the countries in the euro area.

“Next week everyone will be focused on the summit on Friday. But do not forget that we are already at the highest level since the fifteenth (early) the crisis in the euro area. Each time, stakeholders enthusiastic market before maturity and after … it’s the disappointment, “said Ken Polcari, managing director at ICAP Equities.

Wall Street has evolved sawtooth since the beginning of the fall at the discretion of the evolution of the crisis in Europe.

While the S & P 500 benchmark index fund managers, rebounded by 7.4% last week, volatility remains high due to the sensitivity of investors to any bad news from Europe.

But the predominant feeling is that European leaders have taken the measure of the crisis.