Michael Comeau

Why It's a Good Time to Buy Google

The stock is cheap and they have tones of cash - but that's true of the vast majority of large-cap tech names out there right now. GOOG needs a strong economy, for sentiment if nothing else.

Google Ventures Ready to Launch: Not the Best Use of Capital

Okay, let me look at all the GOOG services I am signed up for:

Adsense, Blogger, Analytics, Feedburner, Gmail, iGoogle, Maps, Webmaster, Tools

What do they make money from? Ads, ads, ads. GOOG's ad business is just like MSFT's Office and Windows - the only real profit driver. The rest is stuff thrown at the wall to see if it will stick.

I am grateful for GOOG though, it cost me nothing beyond some domains to help me build a presence online, and a few bucks are starting to trickle in for me from Adsense.

Toward a Google Buyback

The idea that a share repurchase is a return of cash to shareholders does not hold any water. The cash is not going into the shareholders' pockets and there is no guarantee that the company's share count will even go down due to option issuance.

J.P. Morgan's 16 Picks in Troubled Times

With the strength of the dollar, I'd be a little bit careful with these major multinationals. Hopefully, the impact of a stronger dollar will be offset by lower input costs, but it is a headwind worth noting.