You know you're quite a company when your profit goes up 40 percent but your stock price declines 6 percent. That's the case for eBay. The auction site, built on the backs of small businesses selling stuff, said it won't do as well as stock analysts had predicted for the rest of this year and next.
Meanwhile, while trying to justify its $4 billion purchase of Internet phone service company Skype, eBay chief executive Meg Whitman said she foresees a day when phone calls will trend toward zero cost. "The company is betting that by combining electronic markets, online payment systems and Web-based communications, eBay can emerge as a leader in all three businesses," says the story.