Investopedia: How Did Intel Do This?

The word "surprise" is a given whenever it's time to talk about earnings season, but Intel (Nasdaq:INTC) went above and beyond this quarter. Is Intel's robust growth, in spite of sluggish shipment data from leading PC makers, a sign that U.S. computer companies are more significant than ever before, is it a sign that Intel is gaining shares or is it a sign that dangerous levels of inventory may be building up in the channel? While Intel looks too cheap, no matter what the answer may be, the degree of volatility in this stock may hinge on the answer.

A Surprising Third Quarter  

To be fair, it's not as though Intel left the Street thunderstruck; revenue rose 28% from last year (and almost 9% from last quarter), and that was about 2% higher than the average analyst estimate. PC Group's revenue rose almost 22% this quarter with strong double-digit sequential growth in the notebook unit. The server group was no slouch either, with 15% growth, and the company's acquisitions of McAfee and Infineon's wireless business seem to be paying off.

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