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Technology Stocks : Asyst Technologies (ASYT) Good Value/Where is the Bottom? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: WebDrone who wrote (1174)	10/28/1998 8:30:00 PM
From: advinfo	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2313

anyone- any idea what happened today The creme de la creme's of the semi sector continue onward and upward. Nice blocks coming in today, the big boys are grabbing this one up!

To: WebDrone who wrote (1174)	10/29/1998 1:21:00 AM
From: 8bits	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 2313

I could be wrong on this, however I think tax selling for mutual funds and institutions closes October 30th this year. (For individual investors it's at the end of the year.) Could anyone comment on this? If so I think we may have the last of the single digits for this year. And... considering ASYT is 15% of my portfolio and my dollar cost average is below 10, I'm not complaining either...

To: WebDrone who wrote (1174)	10/29/1998 8:49:00 AM
From: JZGalt	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2313

Sorry. No idea. I can make a handwaving argument about end of the quarter tax loss selling abating to give a reason for a near term bottom in October, but other than short covering, I see no reason why this company is now selling for $12 when it sold for $6 only 3 weeks ago. The semiconductor industry is still suffering from overcapacity and I don't see any signs that there is any sort of near term pickup in the front end automation segment. Is ASYT cheap if you have a two year time horizon? Yes! Is it cheap if you look out 6 months? Who knows... The recent flurry of activity in the semiconductor equipment area seems to be based on a few analysts looking at durations of previous downturns and projecting that the next upturn will start in 6 months. The problem with this sort of reasoning is the extreme buildup in capacity in Asia over the past few years as Japan lent money like a drunken sailor. Until that capacity is shutdown or absorbed, I just don't see any way a new wave of spending starts. To look at it another way, I think ASYT is just following the larger and more well known names (AMAT, KLAC, NVLS) higher in sympathy vs. any real prospects for improvement. I'm not complaining about the price move either, but since there is no fundamental basis for the move, I won't be too surprised if it fades.