SI
SI
discoversearch

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor.  We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community.  If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.
Technology Stocks : FSII - The Worst is Over?

 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext  
To: Donald Wennerstrom who wrote (2132)8/1/1998 12:04:00 PM
From: Donald Wennerstrom  Read Replies (1) of 2754
 
There is a good article in today's issue of the Los Angeles Times about Silicon Valley. The article can be found at:

latimes.com

The article confirms a nagging suspicion that I have had for quite a while as a result of looking at the high prices in 1995 and 1997. The industry is in a three year downturn starting in 1995. This is in sharp contrast to the analysts predictions of 20 to 30 percent yearly growth rates. Specific quotes from the article are listed below:

"A combination of factors has turned a typical periodic slump into the current industry malaise, analysts say. The Asian economic crisis has slowed demand for semiconductors, exacerbating a glut of computer memory chips. Bill McIlvaine, managing editor of the trade publication Semiconductor Business News, calls 1998 "the worst year since at least 1985." "We had an unprecedented period of prosperity from 1991 through 1995, and now we've had an unprecedented three-year period of downturn," said Jonathan Joseph, a chip analyst with NationsBanc Montgomery Securities in San Francisco.

The semiconductor business--a bellwether of the entire industry's
health--declined 9% in 1996, grew only 4% in 1997 and will shrink about 10% this year, according to Joseph. "Since 1996 we've had excess
capacity and a slowdown in demand. Then PC demand slowed in late '97 and early '98 . . . so it's a compound effect."

Based on this information, those investing in the semiconductor area (including me) have been investing in a no growth area for the last 3 years. It's always nice to find this out don't you think?:)

On top of all this, the outlook for the end of this malaise is still far from clear.
Report TOU ViolationShare This Post
 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext