investments osteuropa

Hewlett-Packard hikes 2Q guidance

Hewlett-Packard Co.'s turnaround efforts are paying off as the computer and printer maker said it is poised to bulldoze its earlier quarterly earnings targets and rake in an extra $1 billion in sales than previously expected.

The raised outlook sent shares up 2.8 percent Tuesday and underscored HP's market gains against Dell Inc. and others. It also helped mitigate some concerns of inventory buildup and increased competition.

Some analysts think HP, which has been working to slash costs and streamline its businesses under the regime of CEO Mark Hurd, has yet to reach its financial peak.

"Over the last two years, HP has been focused on improving itself, becoming leaner and stronger," said American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu. "And now we're seeing the fruits of its work."

HP boosted its second-quarter forecast on Tuesday, citing strong results in its personal computer and server businesses.

private equity investoren geldanlagen

Overseas investment may slow yuan

The expansion of a program allowing Chinese banks to invest overseas could restrain the yuan's appreciation, Hong Kong Monetary Authority Chief Executive Joseph Yam (迎) said yesterday.

China's banking regulator said Friday it will expand the Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor program to allow approved banks to invest in foreign stocks and equity-linked products on behalf of clients -- a move that could divert some of the money poured into domestic markets. Approved banks can already invest in fixed income products.

"[The move] may be able to alleviate the special macro-financial situation in China, for example the pressure on its exchange rate,'' Yam told reporters.

The yuan has risen 5.3 percent since a revaluation of 2.1 percent in July 2005, but with the country's growing trade surplus the yuan is likely to rise further.

brokerage services

BMO feels more heat on energy

Shares of Bank of Montreal suffered again yesterday as analysts continued to release scorching commentary and some suggested that more bad news might be on the way.Many expect the bank to announce further losses from commodities trading, though not of the same magnitude as the $350-million to $450-million paper hit announced Friday. .