“IBM surpassed profit expectations by posting second-quarter net
income of US$1.99 billion, or $1.16 a share; analysts had expected
$1.12. The company also met Wall Street’s revenue estimates with
$23.2 billion in sales.“Big Blue is a bellwether, considering the company’s size and
the breadth of its products and services. The emphasis at IBM has
been on the latter, as the firm has realized higher margins by
providing consulting for a range of I.T. needs, including software
and hardware implementation…”