Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Skeeter Bug who wrote (27596)	1/7/1999 6:36:00 AM
From: Thai Chung	Respond to of 70976

Thursday January 7, 5:14 am Eastern Time Chip equipment orders seen rising as supplies dip TOKYO, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Semiconductor production equipment manufacturers will enjoy a surge in orders in the first half of 1999 as chip producers will increase capital investment to cope with a supply shortage, a leading chip industry analyst said on Thursday. Fumiaki Sato, an analyst at Deutsche Bank Group, said he expected orders at chip production equipment makers to jump 57 percent in 1999, which should have an especially strong first half. ''Chip production equipment makers will see the biggest change in orders in the first half of 1999,'' Sato said in a statement. Bright prospects boosted shares in semiconductor production equipment makers on Thursday. While chip and technology stocks were generally higher, reflecting strong gains in NASDAQ overnight, Nikon Corp Advantest Corp and Tokyo Electron Ltd all jumped by more than seven percent on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Sato said inventories of dynamic random access memory chips (DRAMs) had fallen below appropriate levels since late last year, after South Korean chip manufacturers' production cuts and steady sales of personal computers on the global market. He expected tightening supplies to prompt chip manufacturers to increase capital spending by 10 percent in 1999. And the supply shortage should continue until 2000, he said. A 64-megabit DRAM chip, the main memory of most PCs, currently trades at around nine to $10, after falling to six dollars last June. Although January is usually a weak month for demand, the chip market has maintained the firm price trend, industry officials said. They said that if the stable price trend continued, at least the biggest Japanese chip manufacturer, NEC Corp , should be able to post profits in its chip division in the second half of 1998/1999.

To: Skeeter Bug who wrote (27596)	1/7/1999 10:04:00 AM
From: Jeffrey D	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

Skeets:<<these numbers will explode once amat posts about a breakeven q this q and last year's q earnings get erased...> Commander Bug, your constant whining is pitiful especially in light of the fact you have no position in AMAT. Suggest you load up on your puts if you really feel these numbers will explode. By the way, speaking of exploding numbers I just read another communique from Planet Altera. According to Corporal Shortseller, the Alteran forces launched a major offensive when their strength rose above 60. Your Seageant Put was captured by the mercenaries from Planet Micron, tortured by the Alterans and then turned over to the mercenaries from Planet Amazon.com who summarily executed him. Well, you should know Commander Bug, those warriors from Amazon.com take no prisoners. Jeff