I think for the shareholders overall it would be great if they could be moved into Alcatel. At least they would come up with a premium price that Alcatel would pay. It would be good for the shareholders, but the question is, will it actually happen?
I think the energy prices are going to overhang us for a while, maybe a good long while. It's looking like there's going to be a problem with fuel prices again, and the markets are concerned the consumer is going to be tapped out by the end of the year.
There are a lot of good things happening right now, but the market continues to focus on Iraq, interest rates, the presidential election, and particularly right now, the high-profile earnings misses.
First off, Microsoft does have a good product mix, ... It has a five-year earnings growth rate, which is somewhere around 15 percent because it is a giant after all.
I kind of like consumer non-durables, (they are) all expected to earn 20 to 25 percent or better this fiscal year, ... They have good returns on equity, 15 percent plus. And I think they're priced appropriately within their price-to-earnings multiples.
I do like computer software, and electronics. And therefore, you know my top picks right now would be large-cap companies in a high-growth area with good, solid, clean balance sheet, good return on equity and good earning projections.