Microsoft seen offering cautious view with results
Reuters | at | by Mike
Microsoft has shielded itself from a prolonged tech sector slump over the past year with a new pricing plan that cushioned sales, but analysts say the software giant may start to feel some pain as the one-off benefits start to fade.
As a result, when Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, reports quarterly earnings on Tuesday, many investors are braced for it to offer a cautious outlook for its next fiscal year ended June 2004; further confirmation that technology spending remains constrained.
"Really the two key things that are going to be the focus are Microsoft's commentary on the PC market and PC shipments and their fiscal 2004 outlook," said Jason Kraft, analyst at A.G. Edwards,