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5 Stocks to Watch this Week

From state-of-the art technology to good ole fashioned retailing, there's plenty of news waiting to break this week on Wall Street. Here's what to watch.

Why Hewlett-Packard Will Never Be Great Again

In the past two years, Hewlett-Packard's world has turned upside-down, thanks to CEO woes, costly acquisitions and a doomed attempt to revive webOS. All those problems cost the tech giant 58% of its market value. But as bad as things appear now, they can always get worse.

5 Things to Watch on Wall Street This Week

It's going to be an interesting week on Wall Street, especially with new tablets and old banks in play. Let's go over some of the items you'll want to watch -- assuming you can tear yourself away from the new "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare," which will start printing money for Activision Blizzard at midnight Tuesday.

5 Things to Watch in Next Week's Market News

There's no such thing as a summertime lull when earnings season is upon us. Even if you don't feel like alerting the "sell in May and go away" camp of investors, there are plenty of headlines to be written about. Here are five things that will shape the way the market acts in the week ahead.

A Stock Pick That's Ready To Pop: Harmonic

Video services company Harmonic, a competitor for much larger providers Motorola and Cisco, is poised to grow at a rate of 15% over the next five years, making it a very promising long-term stock pick.

How to Take Advantage of the M&A Boom

Mergers and acquisitions are becoming ever more popular, with activity up 24% in the first two months of this year -- after already growing 23% in 2010. Here's how your portfolio can benefit from this trend.

Cisco's Optimism Falls on Wall Street's Deaf Ears

Cisco's latest earnings topped analysts' estimates, but profit margins disappointed investors, and the stock plunged 15%. CEO John Chambers insists it's only temporary and that better days are coming. So far, though, nobody is buying that line.

A Quieter Week Could Keep the Rally Rolling

Last week, traders had ample opportunity to take some profits -- and yet the market kept rising. With fewer big reports on tap this week and a key technical hurdle overcome, stocks could very well extend their gains in the sessions ahead. [Video]

Tech Takeovers: Nine Good Bets for 2011 Stock Gains

Even after a round of acquisitions in 2010, some big tech companies are still rolling in cash -- and 2011 looks like another promising year for tech mergers. Here's columnist Peter Cohan's list of top tech acquisition targets for 2011.

Four Stocks to Buy After CEOs Meet With Obama

The CEOs of 20 companies are visiting the White House Wednesday, and those executives will try to get something in return for the political cover they're giving President Obama. That could mean higher earnings for their shareholders down the road -- so which ones should you have in your 2011 portfolio?

Cisco Unveils Lower-Price Videoconferencing Gear

The new products, which Cisco acquired when it bought Tandberg earlier this year, are aimed at midsize companies as Cisco expands its reach beyond Fortune 500 customers. The new products are part of Cisco's TelePresence lineup.

Cisco Systems Plunges on Outlook Fears

Shares of networking equipment maker Cisco Systems plunged more than 16% Thursday as the company's forecast and comments from CEO John Chambers spooked investors.

More Money for Microsoft Shareholders: Quarterly Dividend Grows 23%

In a sign of confidence in the economy, Microsoft says it's raising its dividend for the first time in two years. Shareholders will now get a quarterly dividend of 16 cents, up 23% from 13 cents. The news comes a week after Cisco said it would start paying a dividend.

What If Five Big Techs Started Paying Dividends?

Might other dividend holdouts Apple, Dell, eBay, Google and Yahoo follow Cisco's recent example and also institute a dividend? Each one can easily afford a similar 2% yield, but whether to take that path isn't an easy decision. Here's how the numbers work out.

Cisco, Westcon to Pay $48 Million for Cheating U.S.

Cisco Systems and Westcon Group North America agreed to pay $48 million to settle charges they paid kickbacks and referral fees to win government business, and then recouped those costs and more by overcharging the government for their services.

Cisco's Lackluster Results Send Investors Fleeing

Tech giant Cisco Systems reported a 79% increase in earnings but the company's revenue fell short of analyst expectations, causing investors to push the stock down over 5% after hours. Cisco's tepid results suggest that technology spending isn't growing as fast as investors had hoped.

Investment Surge Powers Up Smart-Grid Tech

EMeter, which makes software that monitors energy use, is the latest smart-grid tech startup to garner significant investment -- $12.5 million worth. With old electricity grids being replaced with smart ones, investors -- and tech giants like Google and Cisco -- are surging into the sector.

FedEx Joins a Growing List of Disappointments

Wall Street analysts still predict a record $97 in profits for the S&P 500 next year despite a lackluster economy. Expectations of massive corporate profits have propped up the stock market. That could change quickly. (With video)

Cisco's Big Sell-Off Makes Its Shares a Steal

Shares of Internet networking giant Cisco tanked after its earnings report on Thursday, but the company hardly blew its quarterly earnings. In fact, Cisco beat estimates. That gives investors an opportunity to buy in at attractive levels.

What Intel's Rockin' Quarter Means for Tech

Impressive results from tech bellwether Intel could set the stage for strong earnings from other tech players. But Wall Street's expectations depend on where a company fits in: Telecom and computer companies are in favor, while software and Internet, not so much.