BUSINESS NEWS.(TO THE POINT)

TECHNOLOGY

Compaq warns of EU weakness;

acquisitions should spur growth

The world's No. 2 computer maker warned of consumer softness in Germany and the U.K. But it's still aggressively seeking acquisitions of services firms, despite a failed bid for Web consultant Proxicom in May. Major corporate accounts are expected to slow, Chairman Michael Capellas said. The speed and timing of the recovery is hard to predict, he added. Compaq is the latest tech firm to signal European weakness.

HP takes global home PC lead

Hewlett-Packard surpassed Compaq in the first quarter, even though it lost market share, International Data Corp. said. …