steve ballmer is willing to set aside 6 billion euros for the takeover. microsoft has already introduced a new system for its mobile phones but says google and apple remained one step ahead. >> let's have a look at some marketembers. in frankfurt, the dax closed up 1.2%. the dow jones industrial average closed up word -- upward. the euro is trading $1.44. first greece, ireland, then the portugal will get a rescue package worth 78 billion euros. portugal is the poorest country in western europe and agreed to the cash injection from the european union and the international monetary fund last week. pressure on the country is mounting. >> portugal has agreed to do some serious belt-tightening. the plan includes widespread privatization and a broad liberalization of the labour market. the european union predicts tough time ahead. >> it has always known these programs will be not any kind of sunday walk in the park. they will be very difficult and demanding. >> in return, portugal will pay its rates of about 6% on its loans. far lower than without the european

steve ballmer to be replaced. einhorn points to microsoft's stock performance as a reason for ballmer to leave. einhorn owned nine million shares of microsoft as of late march. let's talk about performance under ballmer. ballmer has been c.e.o. for more than a decade. this is the past 10 years of m- s-f-t shares. they're down 30% from the late spring of 2000. today again with a slight rally. the luxury business is treating tiffany well. its first quarter earnings came in a dime per share above estimates. sales were up by double digits and margins were higher. a wicked combination, and tiffany saw green. up 8.6%. it led the consumer discretionary sector today, which was the strongest stock group. the rally takes tiffany to a new 52-week high, which is also a new all-time high for shareholders. it wasn't the only higher-end retailer to sparkle. signet jewelers, owner of jared and kay jewelers, was up 5%. earnings came in better than expected. this is a new 52-week high for coach, up 5%. and polo ralph lauren recover

department investigation into it, to which i should add and you mentioned this in the book, that steve ballmer the ceo of microsoft hates google and has done everything in his power to sort of put out there that it is a monopoly. >> i find it so ironic. [laughter] [applause] >> i covered microsoft with bill gates, and i had some amazing conversations with bill gates, and i would say at that point i would have said, this is something to bill gates would not wish on his worst enemy. i take that back. [laughter] >> but i think it was deemed omar was the one coming over couple reported scenes in there. >> we can't repeat what happened. >> yeah, on tv but i do know when i was at microsoft several years ago, and i saw steve ballmer and this was before google had gotten really big. he said google is an iso- company. i'm like, what you mean? we used to be a nice little company and suddenly we were monopoly. this is what he said to me so clearly i would remember that because as i watch them move forward. how do you see google's recent multi-million dollar pass to retain employees affecting morale? >> t

the hedge fund manager david einborn saying the microsoft board should replace steve ballmer, sayingware maker suffers from charlie round management. they have been hemorrhaging share to apple and google. apple ipad taking a huge bite out of p.c. running microsoft windows. so the market this morning feels like preholiday trade here. we're quiet. we are slightly lower across the board. the bloomberg business report -- the silicon valley. next time you head to berkeley you might notice people with nose in a book. it's third well-read city. live at the new york stock exchange, i'm jane king, bloomberg news. >> all right, jane. thanks a lot. >>> 6:47. let's make it. if you suffer from allergies, and they seem worse than usual this year, you can pin the blame on climate change. our media partner california wash cites a study that shows temperatures get warmer, and more carbon dioxide released in the atmosphere, plants boost their pollen production. the study by quest diagnostics indicate in the past four years there has been a 21% increase in ragweed allergies in california. doctors tells

when it appears the head of microsoft may have said too much too soon, ceo steve ballmer, you said ina will go on sale next year. shortly afterwards he said not true not yet, microsoft is probably concerned that he was stopped by and windows 7 software if they know that something better is coming soon. and they also said that employees are hard at work on the next version of windows, and it will be released on slate, tablets and pc. now take hal is suing to will, they say that two of their former executives told confidential misinformation from the mobile payment unit during a came just hours after will unveil wall-to- wall it. that let people pay for things using their cell phone. a for two years, how is a pal and google have been taught for them to provide the payment system but then they stop the deal and build their own system. the facebook founder mark a circle burn-home market observers were--mark zu ckerberg and was they the animals has sacrificed their lives. and will deal wouldn't thinks that a killing the mistake of them. now we want to know what you think of his diet plan.