Macro
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month values ▾
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| +0.41 | +0.37 | +0.40 | +0.19 | -0.10 | +0.24 | +0.12 | +0.11 | -0.30 | +0.10 | -0.40 | -0.40 |
The communication sector is sharply positive this month, driven primarily by the landmark $162 billion AOL-Time Warner merger, which has buoyed sentiment through a powerful signal of convergence and scale in digital media and telecom. While Lucent’s profit warning and steep share decline weighed on telecom equipment sub-sectors, the transformative nature of the merger has dominated market perception, reinforcing confidence in strategic consolidation and future growth in integrated communication services.
How this mood is scored ▾
America Online is acquiring Time Warner in a landmark $162 billion deal, creating the world's largest media and entertainment conglomerate, AOL Time Warner Inc. The merger unites AOL's digital reach with Time Warner's content assets, including CNN, HBO, and Time Inc., under CEO Gerald Levin and Chairman Steve Case. The deal signals a shift toward internet-driven media dominance and may trigger consolidation across the sector, boosting rival media and internet stocks.
Lucent Technologies, the most widely held US stock, warned that quarterly results would badly miss forecasts. The blowup rattled the telecom-equipment complex and foreshadowed the sector's coming collapse.
Vodafone AirTouch acquired German conglomerate Mannesmann in a $190 billion hostile takeover, advised by Goldman Sachs, creating the world's largest mobile telecom provider. The deal marked a milestone in European M&A activity and led to significant follow-on transactions, including divestitures and financing mandates, shaping global telecom market dynamics.