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Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jerome who wrote (44203)	3/21/2001 1:51:28 PM
From: Sam Citron	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 70976

Jerome, While Poe and Steinbeck may have courted the muse with a bit of help from Bacchus, I don't remember either of these gents being known for dispensing sage investment advice. I'm no teetotaler, but at least I would not try to mix alcohol with investment discussion that purports to be serious. There's a time and a place for everything. It is difficult enough maintaining an intelligent and courteous dialog with friends we have only met online without the benefit of auditory and visual cues that are so important to nuance and meaning. Sloppy writing or thinking will get my "ignore" vote so as to avoid amplifying the sloppiness and out of respect for thread discipline. I am in no way advocating a breath analyzer test for posting. But those who are prone to drink in such quantity that it noticeably detracts from the quality of their thinking and writing should at least have the good sense to keep the tone of their remarks on the light side in order to avoid a potential brawl atmosphere. Sam

To: Jerome who wrote (44203)	3/21/2001 3:24:52 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 70976

Applied Materials CFO sees no positive sign of recovery (UPDATE: recasts, adds detail, updates stock prices) By Daniel Sorid NEW YORK, March 21 (Reuters) - The chief financial officer of top semiconductor equipment maker Applied Materials Inc. (NasdaqNM:AMAT - news) on Wednesday said he sees no sign of recovery on the horizon for his company's hard-hit sector. ``I have very low expectations,'' Applied Materials Chief Financial Officer Joseph Bronson said in remarks at the SEMInvest conference in New York. ``There isn't any positive sign that I can see out there.'' Bronson's prognosis for the sector -- which has been battered as chip makers scale back production and expansion plans -- was more pessimistic than a common hope that a downturn would last only three quarters or so, Merrill Lynch analyst Brett Hodess said. ``He's saying they just don't have the visibility to say that'' Hodess said. Asked during his presentation if he believed the sector had seen the end of month-to-month drops in bookings, Bronson said, ``No.'' Bronson's remarks capped a three-day conference on the semiconductor equipment sector, which supplies the world's microchip makers with devices to build and test their products. While last year brought the sector tremendous growth, a drop in demand for computers and other electronic devices, as well as an overall economic downturn, have slammed many equipment makers' businesses. ``Last year there was a euphoria'' at the conference, Hodess said. This year, the companies discussed how to outlast the downturn and the best ways to prepare for future growth. One strategy may be providing customer support in lieu of new hardware. Applied Material's Bronson said his company has sought to provide technical services to customers who may not be interested in buying new equipment. The company's service business, he said, has grown 25 percent every quarter and looks like it will continue to increase. He also said the company has renegotiated contracts for its own suppliers, sometimes asking for cuts of 30 percent off the original terms. But the strategies did not distract from the pessimism that pervaded the comments of most executives at the conference. ``You have to manage this like it's going to last a long time,'' said Ken Schroeder, the president and chief executive of KLA-Tencor Corp. (NasdaqNM:KLAC - news). ``Clearly it's going to be a difficult quarter for us,'' he said. ``March isn't over yet.'' Despite the sour mood, shares of semiconductor equipment companies rose on Thursday, as many analysts have said their share prices could not get much worse. The Philadelphia Stock Exchange semiconductor index was up 27.70 points, or 5.1 percent. Applied Materials shares were up $2 7/8, or 6.72 percent, at $45 11/16 in afternoon trading on Nasdaq. KLA-Tencor stock rose $2-3/8, or 6.19 percent, to 40-3/4.