| Auction sells used equipment at low cost
Once a month, bargain hunters from all over the state pack a warehouse just south of the MU campus, where the auctioneer makes his rounds as more than 100 people follow close by. Old friends huddle around pallets of computer equipment just before the auction is set to begin, sifting through desktop computers, monitors, laptops and boxes of miscellaneous equipment. Today, customers will return to the warehouse near Rock Quarry Road to try their luck with this months offerings. MU Procurement Services Surplus Supervisor Bo Solomon, along with his staff of five, is responsible for processing the hundreds of computers and components that come through his warehouse each month. When it comes time for MU departments to upgrade computer equipment, any components no longer needed are sent to surplus for other departments or the public to purchase at prices far below retail.
eBay beats expectations, raises outlook
SAN FRANCISCO - Online auction leader eBay today reported quarterly results that beat Wall Street expectations and said its outlook for the rest of the year would be at the high end of analysts' predictions. Shares of eBay jumped as much as 6 per cent after the company posted a 52 per cent jump in net profit on a 27 per cent revenue rise, led by growth in its core auctions business and the rising prominence of international sales. "I would say it was a very strong quarter across the board," Chief Executive Meg Whitman said in an interview. "We at the top end of analysts' predictions, which ranged from US$1.27 ($1.72) to US$1.34, based on Reuters Estimates data. "Overall it was a good report card," said Martin Pyykkonen, an analyst with Global Crown Capital.
Why Does eBay Want StumbleUpon? To Promote Its Auctions
At first it didn't quite make sense to me why eBay would want to acquire StumbleUpon. eBay does auctions and sales. StumbleUpon does random entertainment. At least, that's the way I used the two sites. But then, of course, I remembered that StumbleUpon is basically just a huge database full of associated interests. It's kinda like Amazon. People who liked X also liked Y. Deploy that technology on eBay, and suddenly your users find all sorts of stuff for sale they never knew about. I imagine somewhere inside eBay there's a chart showing that a huge percentage of their site is basically untrafficked. StumbleUpon, if deployed correctly, would help. .
Europe warns Holland on ABN Amro bids
The European Commission has warned the Netherlands to have an open mind on all bids for ABN Amro, currently at the centre of a takeover struggle, ANP reported on Thursday. The Dutch authorities must operate in a 'non-discriminatory' manner when it came to more than one bid for the bank, a spokesman for internal markets commissioner Charlie McCreevy said. It would be disappointing if the Netherlands made a move towards protectionism, the spokesman said. The commission was reacting to concerns expressed by the Dutch central bank (DNB) over a possible bid from a consortium of banks. Such a bid by Fortis, Royal Bank of Scotland and Santander would 'constitute a strong risk-increasing and complicating factor' DNB said. ABN Amro is in exclusive talks with Barclays until Friday, but says it will talk to the consortium to find out more next week.
Dealers see renaissance in 20th-century pieces
Leigh Keno has devoted his life to the study, acquisition and sale of the finest 18th- and early 19th-century American antiques. Yet in the past few months, he has fallen for pieces for his own home by 20th-century furniture masters George Nakashima and Wharton Esherick. Keno, a respected Manhattan dealer and dealer who frequently appears on PBS' "Antiques Roadshow," is as knowledgeable as anyone about the antiques market and canny about recognizing a good investment when he sees one. He is also a telling barometer of the increasingly muscular market for 20th-century furniture. The strict definition of antique is reserved for pieces at least 100 years old. By that standard, early 20th-century furnishings clearly make the cut. But pieces from the mid-century and even later are being scooped up by collectors aware of their growing value.
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