The Consumer Market

My first blog and I want to keep it straight. The US and Global markets are taking a plunge and everybody's got questions, suggestions, answers and cribs. An interesting observation is that one argument seems to counter the other creating a balmy zero sum game.

The Consumer Market, my field of play, takes the first hit as discretionary spending shrinks and people begin to hold their cash close to their heart. Silicon biggies cut costs, lay people off and sell businesses. TI wants to sell off its baseband part of the wireless business. SanDisk loses Samsung as a potential buyer, as flash prices crash and the business is evaluated as unprofitable and "deteriorating" by Samsung.

In the consumer space, the rot begins at the silicon level and then traverses into the OEMs, manifesting itself as R&D budget cuts.