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Technology Stocks : Applied Materials No-Politics Thread (AMAT) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Cary Salsberg who wrote (2805)	9/1/2002 9:03:05 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25522

This is about 2 weeks old but I don't believe it was posted here: Chip Equipment Makers' Worst-Ever Downturn Expected to Last Through 2002, Says S&P Equity Analyst Advanced Technology Wafer-Fab Plants Expected to Lead Turnaround in 2003 NEW YORK, Aug. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Standard & Poor's semiconductor equipment equity analyst expects that chip-equipment industry order rates will decline in the second half of 2002, but that a recovery will resume in 2003. This forecast is part of an August 15 report from the leader in financial research and investment analysis titled Standard & Poor's Industry Survey on Semiconductor Equipment, covering the equipment needed to manufacture semiconductor chips. Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys series keeps a watchful eye on 51 U.S. industries, offering insights into trends and conditions that affect leading companies' market performance. Industry Surveys for the Semiconductor Equipment Industry looks at the issues affecting the main segments of the chip manufacturing industry. These include the growth in outsourcing, the drive toward deep ultraviolet photolithography, copper interconnect technology, and increased factory automation. In addition there is a look at key players in chip manufacturing such as Applied Materials Inc. (Nasdaq: AMAT), KLA-Tencor (Nasdaq: KLAC), and Teradyne Corp. (NYSE: TER). "Chip equipment revenues fell 41% in 2001, the worst industry downturn ever," says Richard Tortoriello, semiconductor equipment industry equity analyst and author of Standard & Poor's Industry Survey on Semiconductor Equipment. "With recent capital expense cuts by large chipmakers, Standard & Poor's believes equipment-maker revenues will fall another 30% in 2002 before turning around. Orders and revenues have begun growing from these depressed levels however, and we expect slow growth until the need to increase production capacity occurs, which we see beginning in 2003. Driving this need will be advanced technology buys for new 300mm wafer-size fabrication plants, new materials such as copper to replace aluminum in chip wiring, and smaller chip device sizes, such as 0.13 micron geometries," adds Tortoriello. Readers can purchase individual copies of the Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys online at sandp.ecnext.com, or can inquire about annual subscriptions to the full Industry Surveys series covering 51 industries by telephone from Standard & Poor's at 800-523-4534, or via e-mail sent to clientsupport@standardandpoors.com. Standard & Poor's, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), provides independent financial information, analytical services, and credit ratings to the world's financial markets. Among the company's many products are the S&P Global 1200, the premier global equity performance benchmark, the S&P 500, the premier U.S. portfolio index, and credit ratings on more than 220,000 securities and funds worldwide. With more than 5,000 employees located in 18 countries, Standard & Poor's is an integral part of the global financial infrastructure. For more information, visit standardandpoors.com. SOURCE Standard & Poor's