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

To: robert b furman who wrote (17104)	1/11/2006 7:56:54 PM
From: Big Bucks	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 25522

I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but next week is options expiration....look for profit taking prior to then, IMO. Don't be the last one holding the bag.

To: robert b furman who wrote (17104)	1/11/2006 9:19:27 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25522

Sharp boosts LCD TVs with $2.4 bn investment John Walko EE Times (01/11/2006 8:31 AM EST) LONDON — Sharp is investing Yen 275 billion ($2.4 billion) during its next fiscal year to maintain its top spot in the liquid crystal display TV market. The company’s president, Katsuhiko Machida, said the bulk of the money, about $1.75 billion, would go towards a major facility to make LCD panels in order to meet huge demand globally for LCD televisions. With the latest investment, production at Sharp‘s second panel plant in Japan will climb from 15,000 sheets a month now to 30,000 sheets by March next year. This is expected to reach 90,000 a month sometime in 2008, the company said. The expansion will quadruple Sharp‘s panel production capacity, enabling it to make 20 million 32-inch TV sets a year at its two factories from 5 million today. Sharp’s plans come just a day after Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said it would invest about $1.6 billion to build a fourth plasma display panel plant to meet surging demand for flat-panel televisions. "Right now we are not able to supply enough product to meet demand," said Sharp's Machida. "We are set on achieving a production structure that will not take a back seat to plasma in terms of cost." Machida said Sharp would allocate Yen 275 billion for capital investment in the year starting April 2006, while aiming for group sales of Yen 3 trillion (about $24 billion) for fiscal 2006 and an operating profit margin of 6 percent. Adding to the heated debate over the advantages of LCD technology versus plasma displays for TVs, Machida said LCDs would soon overtake plasma in sales, even in larger size screens such as 32-in TVs, which many feel is more suitable for PDPs. Sharp suggested global demand for LCD televisions totalled 20 million units in fiscal 2005, while demand for plasma display panel versions stood at 5 million.