Microsoft performs better than competition
MarketWatch | at | by Mike
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer won't be doing one of his infamous cheerleading dance routines Thursday when he and other executives serve up the software leader's year-end results. Microsoft is performing better than most of its competition through a continuing tech slump that's hit Siebel Systems, SAP and others. But the company's business outlook for its fiscal-first quarter and its new fiscal year won't have anyone doing back flips, analysts say. Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft is expected to report earnings of 42 cents a share, according to a consensus of 24 analysts polled by Thomson Financial/First Call. The company earned 43 cents a share in the same period last year.