Christmas comes early for networkers

A little holiday spirit helped networking stocks soar today, as shares in bellwether Cisco Systems hit a new 52-week high following a favorable analyst report. Cabletron Systems, however, got coal in its stocking for the third quarter, reporting a loss greater than previous estimates.

Networkers get dose of holiday cheer Shares in Cisco, 3Com, and others climb, spurred on by bullish industry expectations and a dose of overall good cheer on Wall Street Cabletron Systems fails to meet the Street The network equipment provider caps a tumultuous year by posting earnings for its most recent quarter under revised estimates. Cisco shines after Wall Street report update Shares in the network equipment maker rise as much as 6 percent to a record amid expectations that increased use of the Internet will mean higher sales and profit. Motorola to buy Lucent's cellular unit update Lucent Technologies, the world's largest phone-equipment maker, said it sold its cellular phone research division, which it had planned to close, to Motorola for an undisclosed amount. Networking-cable marriage in works? update | news analysis Why would a networking company that counts on huge revenue streams from its sophisticated technology for phone services and the Internet be interested in a box that allows users to order the latest movie hits?