| | Another Wrench in Oracle's Merger Machine |
 | | After all, a large part of Oracle's pitch to shareholders is that PeopleSoft needs to be rescued from a management team that led the company to a run of bad quarters. |
 | | Indeed, an Oracle spokesman said just that a few hours after PeopleSoft made its surprise announcement before the market opened on Wednesday: "We believe that five straight quarters of declining results are a better indication of the underlying condition of PeopleSoft's business." |
 | | At the very least, the strong results could well force Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, who already raised his bid from $16 to $19.50 a share, to raise it again. |
| www.thestreet.com /tech/billsnyder/10097783.html (354 words) |