The week ahead: Comdex happenings
Technology professionals will flock to Las Vegas for Comdex Fall 2001, one of the biggest conventions in the industry.
Following are some of the notable tech-related events scheduled for the week of Nov. 12 through Nov. 16.
Technology professionals will flock to Las Vegas for Comdex Fall 2001, one of the biggest conventions in the industry.
The event will feature the latest advances in computer and wireless technology and will also include tighter security because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Attendance is expected to fall at least 25 percent from last year's 150,000 participants, while fewer product announcements are planned, a reflection of the tough economic times.
On the earnings front, investors will scrutinize earnings from Dell Computer on Thursday for signs of life in the ailing PC industry. Analysts surveyed by First Call expect Dell to post third-quarter earnings of 15 cents vs. 25 cents in the same quarter last year.
Other significant earnings this week include Applied Materials, Exodus Communications, Global Crossing and Agilent Technologies.
Wall Street will pay attention Friday to government Consumer Price Index data, a measure that economists use to track the presence of inflation in the U.S. economy.
The information was gathered from First Call, Hoover's Online, CCBN's StreetEvents and CNET Investor.
Other events scheduled this week:
TECH EVENTS
Saturday & Sunday, Nov. 10, 11
- The SC2001 supercomputing conference will be held at the Denver Convention Complex Nov. 10-16. On Tuesday, Craig Venter, president and chief scientific officer of gene-mapping Celera Genomics, will deliver a keynote address.
- Comdex Fall 2001 takes place at the Las Vegas Hilton and at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Nov. 10-16. The information technology event features keynote speeches by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers, and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, along with CEOs from companies like Nokia, Sony and eBay.
- Stanford University will conduct a course on Web publishing at the Monterey Plaza Hotel in Monterey, Calif., Nov. 11-14. The event is geared toward Web design professionals and features classes and critique workshops. Representatives from the Wall Street Journal, Women.com and America Online will make presentations.
- VentureOne will hold a conference for private tech companies seeking their second round of funding at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, Calif., Nov. 12-13. William Hambrecht, founder of investment bank WR Hambrecht, will make a keynote speech.
- Key3Media will hold Customer 360 at the Hilton and MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nov. 12-15 in conjunction with Comdex. The event will focus on customer relationship management technology.
- Business Communications Review will conduct a course on IP (Internet protocol) at the Crown Plaza Union Square in San Francisco, Nov. 12-13. The course will explore how IP technology will increasingly become the standard language that powers voice and data telecommunications networks.
- The Internet Democracy Project will host a special Civil Society meeting in Los Angeles on Nov. 13. This coincides with the weeklong Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) meeting. Topics to be discussed include the future of .org, recent events concerning civil liberties in cyberspace (with a special focus on privacy issues), a dialog with ICANN At-Large Directors, network privatization, and a roundtable on ICANN At-Large membership. No preregistration is required, and the meeting and attendance are free.
- Search Engine Strategies 2001 kicks off at the Dallas Market Center, Nov. 14-15. The show is organized for programmers and tech executives involved in Internet search technology, and exhibitors include companies like AltaVista, Inktomi and Fast Search & Transfer.
- iMedia Fall 2001 convenes at Deer Valley Resorts in Park City, Utah, Nov.14-17. The event is for people in the advertising and Internet industries to discuss strategies for advertising online. Representatives from eBay, 24/7 Media, DoubleClick, AOL Time Warner and Yahoo are scheduled to attend.
- Web portal juggernaut Yahoo will hold its third annual analyst day on Nov. 15 in Santa Clara, Calif. Contact Yahoo investor relations for more information at the company's main number, 408-349-3300.
Monday, Nov. 12
- Gilat Satellite Networks makes satellite communications equipment. Per-share consensus estimate for the third quarter: loss of $11.31.
- WebMD provides electronic transaction and billing services for hospitals and physicians and runs a health information Web site for consumers. Per-share consensus estimate for the third quarter: loss of 5 cents.
- BEA Systems makes e-business infrastructure software. Per-share consensus estimate for the third quarter: profit of 5 cents.
- Cablevision Systems provides cable and Internet access service to subscribers in the United States. Per-share consensus estimate for the third quarter: loss of $1.10.
- CoolSavings.com is a Web site that runs targeted marketing and promotional campaigns on its site from advertisers. No estimates were available.
- Dobson Communications provides cell phone service to consumers in 19 states and has sold part of its territory to Verizon Communications. Per-share consensus estimate for the third quarter: loss of 50 cents.
- Global Crossing operates an international fiber-optic telecommunications network. Per-share consensus estimate for the third quarter: loss of 85 cents.
- Infineon Technologies is a majority-owned subsidiary of Siemens and makes chips for the communications, automotive, industrial and consumer electronics sectors. No estimates were available for the fourth fiscal quarter.
- Liberty Media is a former AT&T subsidiary that owns stakes in various cable companies. Per-share consensus estimate for the third quarter: loss of 1 cent.
- Liquid Audio makes software that lets consumers download, listen to, and buy music off the Internet. Per-share consensus estimate for the third quarter: loss of 41 cents.
- Network Appliance builds computer data storage equipment. Per-share consensus estimate for the second fiscal quarter: profit of 1 cent.
- Sycamore Networks makes optical communications equipment for telecommunications carriers. Per-share consensus estimate for the first fiscal quarter: loss of 17 cents.
- 24/7 Media provides advertising services to Web sites. No estimates were available.
- Vodafone is a wireless carrier with interests in Europe and in the United States. No estimates were available for its half-year results.
- Applied Materials builds manufacturing equipment for chipmakers. Per-share consensus estimate for the fourth fiscal quarter: profit of 4 cents.
- Exodus Communications provides hosting services to companies and Web sites. Per-share consensus estimate for the third quarter: loss of 26 cents.
- Gemstar-TV Guide International licenses VCR programming technology to TV and VCR makers. No estimates were available.
- Siemens makes equipment for the communications, health care, industrial and computer sectors. No consensus estimates were available on its preliminary results for the fiscal year ending in September.
- Agilent Technologies makes test and measurement equipment for wireless and telecommunications networks, chips and electronics. Per-share consensus estimate for the fourth fiscal quarter: loss of 60 cents.
- CacheFlow makes computer servers for Internet networks. Per-share consensus estimate for the second fiscal quarter: loss of 28 cents.
- Dell Computer is a made-to-order PC maker. Per-share consensus estimate for the third quarter: profit of 15 cents.
- Intuit makes personal finance software like Quicken and TurboTax. Per-share consensus estimate for the first fiscal quarter: loss of 15 cents.
- Kulicke & Soffa makes chip manufacturing gear for chipmakers. Per-share consensus estimate for the fourth fiscal quarter: loss of 21 cents.
Wednesday, Nov. 14
- Retail Sales for the month of October are expected to rise 1.7 percent compared with September's loss of 2.4 percent as reported by the Commerce Department. Excluding automobile sales, Wall Street expects sales to drop 0.1 percent vs. the previous month's decrease of 1.6 percent.
- Initial Claims refers to the number of people who filed for unemployment benefits each week as reported by the Department of Labor. Claims will be reported for the week of Nov. 10.
- Business Inventories represents the percentage change of the amount of goods in inventory in the United States as reported by the Department of Commerce. Wall Street predicts that this number will fall 0.3 percent in September vs. a 0.1 percent drop in August.
- The Philadelphia Federal Reserve's monthly Business Outlook Survey is a survey of manufacturers in the Third Federal Reserve District that tracks the direction of change in overall business activity at their plants. Wall Street expects the index to rise to negative 22.5 for the month of November from the previous month's negative 27.4.
- The Consumer Price Index is expected to rise 0.1 percent in October from last month's rise of 0.4 percent. The core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, is expected to rise 0.1 percent from September's 0.2 percent increase. This Labor Department index tracks the change in prices at the consumer level.
- The monthly Capacity Utilization report from the Federal Reserve indicates the percentage of industrial capacity in use. Analysts expect this measurement of industrial activity to fall to 74.8 percent in October from the previous month's 75.5 percent.
- Industrial Production represents the monthly percentage change in industrial output as measured by the Federal Reserve. The number measures the physical quantity of items produced, unlike sales value, which combines quantity and price. The number is expected to decrease 0.7 percent in October, compared with last month's drop of 1.0 percent.