Connection Group top tech performer

Yesterday the Sunday Times published its Top100 for this year. From a technology perspective the highest placed companies were Connection Group Holdings at No 12; Digicore at No 13; Reunert at No 42; and Mustek at No 45.

* The acquisition of Geac Computer by Golden Gate Capital for $1bn
* MTN`s investment in Botswana`s Mascom Wireless

* A positive trading update from Labat Africa
* Negative trading updates from Spescom and Synergy

The highest ranked technology companies took the 12th and 13th position.

Paul Booth, MD, Global Research Partners

* An effective 44% investment in Mascom Wireless Botswana by MTN for $128m
* Lesotho`s telecommunications monopoly to end on 8th February 2006
* Jambo Telkom, a subsidiary of Telkom Kenya, enters the Kenyan market as a new ISP
* A planned listing in London from Econet Wireless Group
* A planned sell-off by Eskom of its stake in Mountain Communications, the consortium with Econet that owns Telkom Lesotho. Econet has the first option to buy.
* MTN and Portugal Telecom short listed for the 34% stake in Namibia`s Mobile Telecommunications

* The $1,2bn buy-out by Silver Lake Partners of infrastructure software player, Serena Software
* NEC and Toshiba to jointly develop next generation semiconductor technology
* Analyst upgrades for Comtech group, Forrester Research, National Semiconductor, Nvidia, SeaChange International, Secure Computing and STMicroelectronics
* Analyst downgrades for Aladdin Knowledge Systems, Apple, CDW, Dell, Digital Angel, Given Imaging, Honeywell International, Kronos, LSI Logic, Navigant Consulting, NetEase, Plexus, SanDisk, Sanmina, Solectron, Sonic Solutions, SpatiaLight and Wireless Facilities
* Positive results announcements from Capgemini and Telindus Group NV,
* Negative result warnings from Atos Origin, Deutsche Telekom, Photronics, QAD and Wireless Facilities
* A job loss announcement from Siemens
* A planned IPO from Telefonica`s subsidiary, Endemol, on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange
* A planned IPO on London`s AIM by BNS Telecom
* An excellent IPO by Israel`s Saifun Semiconductor

* A buyer for Phones4U
* The possible buy-out of Kingston Communications Plc
* The buy of Net2Phone

* JSE All share index: Up 1,3% (highest ever weekend close)
* Nasdaq: Up 1,5% (highest close since the late 1990s)
* Top SA share movements: Beget Hlds (+33,3%), Cape Empowerment Trust (+18,2%), Dynamic Cables (+56,3%), Labat Africa (-13,3%), Metrofile (+14,3%), Sekunjalo (+10%), Stella Vista (+50%), Trematon (+16,7%) and Vesta (-33,3%)
* Top international share movements: BITS (+31,7%), Com21 (-40%), FiberMark (-37%), Ki-Bi (+46,7%), Kingston Communications (+29,2%), Paxson Communications (+143,9%), QA (-30%), Scan-Optics (+65%), SeaChange International (+28,7%) and SEMX (+55,6%)