| Shares of Texas Instruments (TXN: news, chart, profile) have fallen 40 percent in the past year, but the semiconductor maker's outlook could brighten on plans to emerge from this year's chip slump, a report from this week's Barron's said. The company sees continued softness in the third quarter as customers further reduce inventory, Texas Instruments said at the time of the second-quarter results release. However, the Semiconductor Industry Association has forecast that a rebound in the chip industry could come in the fourth quarter, Barron's said. TI is betting on that rebound, so it's building new chip factories, including a $2 billion plant in Dallas that's aimed at highly efficient operation, the article said. Shares of the Dallas, Texas firm slipped 65 cents to close at $37.50 Friday, well off its 52-week low of $26.26 |
