This Week in Tech: Microsoft, Apple, LinkedIn, and More

Apple Experiences Patent Troubles in China 

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s shares have retreated to close at $95.33 a piece this week. Patent troubles in the world’s largest smartphone market could have something to do with the stock’s weakness. Shares of Apple sold off on Friday after news broke that Beijing officials ordered a halt of sales of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in the city. The officials ordered a halt because a court ruled that the two phone’s designs infringe on a patent held by a Chinese company. Apple has appealed and, according to reports, all Apple products are still for sale across the country. China is a key market for Apple and the company needs to have good relations with the government. In the most preferable scenario, Apple may need to do some more investments, similar to the one in Didi Chuxing, to patch up its relationship with the government and business can continue as usual. A total of 152 funds from our database had a long position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) at the end of March, up by 19 funds from the previous quarter.

Yahoo! Sells Some Real Estate

According to the Silicon Valley Business Journal, Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) has divested some real estate assets to a Chinese company. Yahoo has apparently sold a 48.6 acre site in Silicon Valley to LeEco for $250 million, which gave the company a $144 million pre-tax profit. The real estate sale’s effect on the sale of Yahoo’s core properties is uncertain. One bidder, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), is only interested in the core internet businesses, while others are interested in the core internet business, patents, and assets. The bidders might take the sale into account when offering their final bidding prices. At the end of March, 97 funds from our database owned shares of Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO).

Disclosure: none