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Technology Stocks : Semi Equipment Analysis -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Return to Sender who wrote (13647)	3/1/2004 5:18:20 PM
From: Donald Wennerstrom	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 95383

A couple of good articles from CBS Marketwatch tonight on the marker action today and then on the Intel downgrade today. First, the article on the market. cbs.marketwatch.com [SNIP} <<U.S. stocks rally as data pleases Nasdaq shakes off early Intel dip, Dow plays the odds By Tomi Kilgore, CBS.MarketWatch.com Last Update: 4:30 PM ET March 1, 2004 NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- U.S. stocks closed sharply higher Monday in their biggest rally in two weeks as investors cheered a report showing that manufacturing activity remained at strong levels for a fourth straight month in February. The technology sector, attempting to recover from six-straight weeks of declines, withstood some early weakness in shares of semiconductor giant Intel, which was prompted by a downgrade by J.P. Morgan, to bounce back strongly. The Dow Jones Industrials Average ($INDU: news, chart, profile) soared 94.22 points, or 0.9 percent higher, to close at 10,678.14 , with all but two of its 30 components gaining ground. According to the "Stock Trader's Almanac," the Dow Jones average has posted gains on the first trading day in March six times in the past eight years. The gains came after The Institute of Supply Management's index on February manufacturing activity fell to 61.4 percent from January's 20-year high of 63.6 percent, missing expectations of about 62.1 percent (read more). But economists pointed out that the index has been above the 60 percent mark in each of the last four months, something that's happened only nine times in the past 20 years. "Although manufacturing growth appeared to slow slightly in February, this report is still consistent with a strong cyclical upswing in manufacturing continuing, especially in light of lower customer inventories," said Bear Stearns chief market economist John Ryding. "This report also shows that employment prospects in manufacturing appear to be improving rapidly.">> The article continues on to address the potential continuation of the rally. {SNIP] <<Rally not over Despite the consolidation seen in stocks over the past month and a half, UBS equity strategist Gary Gordon said he does not think the rally is over, yet. "We assume investors will buy until it is patently clear that they shouldn't," Gordon said in a note to clients. He believes the market will receive "mostly positive reinforcement" in the near term from continued better-than-expected earnings reports, and as consumers, flush with cash from the tax refund season, keep on spending. In addition, the strong but softer-than-expected manufacturing data, and weakness in construction spending, may have also helped soothe fears of an overheating economy, and a sooner-than-hoped for rise in interest rates. "I think there's a little optimism on the sense that the interest rate scenario, where many people were expecting an interest rate hike by the end of the first half, is probably not going to happen at this point," said Barry Hyman, equity market strategist at EKN. Listen to audio report. He added that stocks were coming off a "decent short-term oversold market, technically speaking." UBS' Gordon said the overall earnings outlook and other positive news should help the S&P 500 reach 1,200 at some point in 2004, and potentially to 1,300, or even 1,400.>> [SNIP}

To: Return to Sender who wrote (13647)	3/2/2004 2:35:35 AM
From: Czechsinthemail	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 95383

I bought some ISIL anyway! I think ISIL is a good choice. The stock has been relatively weak while the company's performance has been strong. One of the things I like about ISIL is its balance and stability. The company consistently reports higher than average growth with higher than average margins. Plus they have a nice pile of cash, so they are more likely to pursue share buybacks and less likely to engage in secondary offerings. I think many became disenchanted when they sold off their Wi-Fi operations, but I think ISIL remains one of the top companies in the analog semi space. They are presenting at the Morgan Stanley Semiconductor & Systems Conference on Mar 2 and at the JMP Securities Growth Conference on Mar 10. Intersil Corporation to Present at Upcoming Conferences: Morgan Stanley Semiconductor & Systems Conference - March 2 and JMP Securities Growth Conference - March 10 MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 1, 2004--Intersil Corporation (Nasdaq:ISIL - News), a world leader in the design and manufacture of high performance analog solutions, today announced that Dan Heneghan, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will present at the Morgan Stanley Semiconductor & Systems Conference on March 2, 2004, and at the JMP Securities Growth Conference on March 10, 2004. Intersil's presentation at the Morgan Stanley Semiconductor & Systems Conference is scheduled at 8:00 a.m. Pacific time, and the presentation at JMP Securities Growth Conference is scheduled at 2:10 p.m. Pacific Time. Both presentations will be webcast live. These live webcasts may be accessed via the investor relations section of the Intersil website at intersil.com. Archived replays will be available following the live presentations. About Intersil Intersil Corporation is a leader in the design and manufacture of high performance analog semiconductors. The company's products address three of the industry's fastest growing markets - flat panel displays, optical storage (CD and DVD recordable) and power management. Intersil products include power management devices for battery management, hot-swap and hot-plug controllers, linear regulators, supervisory ICs, switching DC-DC regulators and power MOSFET drivers; optical storage laser diode drivers; DSL line drivers; video and high performance operational amplifiers; data converters; interface ICs; analog switches and multiplexers; crosspoint switches; voice-over-IP devices; and ICs for military, space and rad-hard applications. For more information about Intersil or to find out how to become a member of our winning team, visit the company's web site and career page at intersil.com.