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

To: Proud_Infidel who wrote (19141)	5/27/2006 12:55:03 AM
From: etchmeister	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 25522

But, for some inexplicable reason this is not translating into higher stock prices. I don't have an answer - but it looks someone continues selling calls over and over again being extremely confident that these calls will expire worthless. what puzzles me is although the group goes more or less side/downwards there is a large number of financial pundits that continues to follow the group. Here's a post from Don To: Donald Wennerstrom who wrote (22024) 3/8/2005 8:38:44 PM From: Donald Wennerstrom Read Replies (1) of 30698 Second Downturn Seen For Integrated Circuit Makers 03.08.05, 4:01 PM ET <<Although recent data for the chip industry may have signaled a bottom for the integrated circuit (IC) market, Credit Suisse First Boston expects a second downturn to weigh on chip stocks through the end of the year. The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) recently reported that monthly sales data showed IC growth of 5.2% on a year-over-year basis, "reversing five straight months of decelerating IC unit growth, and giving the market an indication that IC units may have bottomed this cycle and are already entering into a unit recovery," according to CSFB. However, the research firm believes the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index has already priced in a bottom in the IC market, as it is up more than 15% from its Jan. 24 lows. CSFB said a lack of "pent-up demand" will keep an IC upturn in check and forecasted a "disappointing finish" for IC firms. "Bottom line, we believe a lower beta, shallower downturn in IC units could be setting up for a softer than historical upturn in IC units--which could mute upward momentum utilization--further exacerbated by increasing supply growth in 2005," it said. "We continue to anticipate a second leg of a downturn leading to a disappointing finish to 2005 and another year of down capital expenditures in 2006. We would continue to avoid the back end names whose poor operating models are most vulnerable to a lower beta upturn." Front-end semiconductor companies produce the components for circuits while back-end companies provide chip assembly and testing. CSFB rates back-end chip suppliers Credence Systems (nasdaq: CMOS - news - people ) and Teradyne (nyse: TER - news - people ) at "underperform" with price targets of $7.50 and $10, respectively, while front-end giant Applied Materials (nasdaq: AMAT - news - people ) is rated at "neutral" with a $16.50 target price.