Softbank pays arm and leg for ARM

The Softbank/ARM Holdings deal dominated the international ICT market last week.

At home, MTN's negative trading update was the main local ICT story.

* Positive trading updates from Adapt IT and Vodacom.
* A mixed trading update from Datatec.
* A negative trading update from MTN Group.
* Huawei has invested R72 million in its first Innovation and Experience Centre in Africa, bringing the number of such facilities worldwide to seven.
* Renewed JSE cautionaries by Amecor and Huge Group.

Look out for the winner in the battle for Yahoo.

* Dassault Systems acquired German-based Computer Simulation Technology.
* Nuance Communications bought TouchCommerce, a technology partner and provider of digital customer service and engagement solutions, for $215 million.
* OpenText purchased Recommind, a provider of e-discovery and information analytics.
* Softbank acquired UK-based Arm Holdings, the chip designer heavily focused on the Internet of things. The deal was worth £24.3 billion.
* Verisk Analytics bought Greentech Media, an information services provider for the next-generation electricity and renewables sector.
* Vivendi SA made an additional investment in Ubisoft, the video games maker, boosting its stake to over 20%.
* Samsung Electronics said on Friday it sued Huawei Technologies for patent infringements through multiple courts in China, escalating a legal conflict between the smartphone rivals.
* Opera Software said the agreed $600 million sale of the whole company to a Chinese consortium has been cancelled, after the suitor failed to get government approval. The Norwegian-based company will now sell businesses including browsers for mobile devices and desktops, technology licensing and a stake in a Chinese venture to the same group that attempted the full takeover, but will keep businesses such as TV applications and game-related apps.
* Very good quarterly figures from Netflix and Silicon Motion.
* Good quarterly numbers from Amphenol, ASML NV, AT&T, EMC and Manhattan Associates.
* Satisfactory quarterly results from Alliance Data, AMD (back in the black), Belden, Dish Network, Ericsson, Infosys, Mellanox Technologies, PayPal, Qualcomm, Rogers Communications, SAP, Snap-On, TE Connectivity and VMware.
* Mediocre quarterly results from Benchmark Electronics, Celestica, IBM, Maxim Integrated Products, Microsoft (but back in the black), Millicom, PTC, Skyworks Solutions, TalkTalk and Vodafone.
* Mixed quarterly figures from Crown Castle International, with revenue up but profit down; DST Systems, with revenue up but profit down; F5 Networks, with revenue up but profit down; Flex, with revenue up but profit down; Intel, with revenue up but profit down; Rambus, with revenue up but profit down; Syntel, with revenue up but profit down; Telenor, with revenue up (just) but profit down; Telia, with revenue down but profit up; and Wipro, with revenue up but profit down.
* Very poor quarterly figures from Marvell Technology Group and Tessco Technologies.
* Quarterly losses from 8x8, Pandora Media, Polycom, Proofpoint, Tele2, Yahoo and Zhone Technologies.

EMEA/Africa:
* PC shipments in EMEA performed above expectations, reaching 16.1 million units in Q216, a 4.7% year-on-year decrease, according to IDC. Looking at regions, Western Europe stabilised at -0.8%, while Central and Eastern Europe and MEA remained constrained, respectively, at -8.5% and -13.3%

Worldwide:
* Worldwide semiconductor capital spending is projected to decline 0.7% in 2016, to $64.3 billion, according to Gartner. This is up from the estimated 2% decline in its previous quarterly forecast.
* The worldwide smartwatch market saw a year-over-year decline of 32%, according to IDC. Smartwatch vendors shipped 3.5 million units in 2Q16, which was down substantially from the 5.1 million shipped a year ago.
* The global network functions virtualisation (NFV) market, which includes NFV hardware, software and services, will be worth $15.5 billion by 2020, according to HIS Markit.

* JSE All share index: Down 0.2%
* FTSE100: Up 0.9% (highest weekend close this year)
* DAX: Up 0.8%
* NYSE (Dow): Up 0.3% (highest weekend close)
* S&P 500: Up 0.6% (highest weekend close)
* Nasdaq: Up 1.4% (highest weekend close this year)
* Nikkei225: Up 0.6%
* Hang Seng: Up 1.4% (highest weekend close this year)
* Shanghai: Down 1.4%

International:
* The winner in the battle for Yahoo. AT&T and Verizon are among the five bidders still in the running to land Yahoo, with the other three hopefuls being private equity firms TPG, Vector Capital, and Dan Gilbert, founder of online lender Quicken Loans. Verizon seems to be the frontrunner for Yahoo's Internet businesses.
* Apollo Global Management filing for an IPO of the IT services firm, Presidio Holdings, less than two years after buying the firm.

South Africa:
* Further news regarding the Stella/Prescient discussions.

Forbes magazine recently published its listing of 'Asia's 200 best under $1 billion'. The list includes numerous technology companies, including:
* Aspeed Technology, a fabless IC design house;
* Beijing Shiji Information Technology, a company involved in the development and sale of hotel information management system software and system integration;
* Bluecom, a company involved in the development and production of acoustic components;
* Cypress Technology, which specialises in the design and manufacture of innovative AV and multimedia products;
* DHC Software, an industry application software development, computer information system integration and IT services firm;
* eMemory Technology, a company involved in logic-based embedded NVM technologies;
* Enigmo, an Internet social commerce business;
* Innodisk, a company involved with the provision of industrial embedded flash and dynamic random-access memory storage products and technologies;
* Koh Young Technology, a world leader in 3D measurement and inspection technology used in the production of micro-electronics assemblies;
* Mobase, a manufacturing company for cases for mobile phones and netbook external devices;
* NICE Information & Telecommunication, a company involved with the provision of integrated payment solutions;
* Parade Technologies, which develops and supplies integrated circuits for touch, display and high-speed digital interface applications;
* Silverlake Axis, a provider of digital economy solutions and services for organisations in various industries, including banking and insurance;
* Sinher Technology, a research, development, manufacturer of hinge components and assemblies; and
* Vitrox Technologies, which specialises in designing and developing automated vision inspection system and equipment.