Be assured that the next several quarters for HP are going to show a whole series of 'one-time' or 'non-recurring' charges associated with the litigation of the merger vote, the cost of closing the deal, the loss of revenue or business focus during the distraction, the cost of layoff's, the cost of shutting down certain product lines for one or the other...and the list goes on. Unfortunately, the track record of some involved in this deal isn't likely to make the big bath really happen. We're more likely to see 3 quarters of hosings - not one big bath!
The week in review: HP clears the way. One of the most costly and contentious tech mergers in recent memory clears its last hurdle this week, paving the way for HP to complete its $19 billion deal with Compaq Computer. [CNET News.com]
