Zings Of The Day (MSFT, WHR, PC, HPQ, DTG)

Hewlett-Packard HPQ announced Leo Apotheker as its new CEO, sparking concerns from investors that he may not be the right man for the job. Investors are concerned about his tenure at SAP SAP, which didn't live up to expectations. They were also concerned that being from France and having a pointy head, that he was actually a Conehead, and not a real person. Dollar Thrifty DTG shareholders rejected Hertz's HTZ new offer, hinting that Avis CAR could acquire the company. I guess shareholders aren't so "thrifty" after all. Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's MSFT CEO did not reach bonus goals, and thus did not reach the full amount of his bonus. This came from the company not living up to the boards expectations for smart phones, and competing with Apple AAPL. I guess apparently the board doesn't like being the red headed step child in this race. Maybe it's time to find someone new, eh? Whirpool WHR and Panasonic PC plead guilty to price fixing yesterday, and paid a combined fine of nearly $150 million. The fines were due to price fixing in refrigeration compressors. Now if only these companies could actually fix my fridge, then everything would be okay.