The strong growth in hardware and cloud computing helps assuage investors' concerns about Google's dependence on search, Wang said.

In order to assuage investors, sponsors of many money-market funds have been waiving fees, less the investments result in negative returns.

That represents a failure for a bank seeking to assuage investors concerned about its $60 billion of mortgage assets.

Daiwa also said some of the net proceeds to be used to reduce the firm's gearing should assuage investors' concerns of an over-stretched balance sheet.

Now it is again reaching into its $22 billion cash hoard to try to assuage investors peeved at a seemingly moribund stock price.

Ms Whitman's challenge will be boosting revenue while assuaging investors, whose dismay fuelled a 47 percent plunge in HP stock under Mr Apotheker.