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Technology Stocks : Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (52292)	4/22/1999 6:13:00 PM
From: Sonny Blue	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 164684

Michelle, yes, it's only a short-term play, although if you compare PTVL to Priceline.com, it's dirt cheap. There is nothing out there to buy for long term if you're interested in e-travel. I suspect Amazon will go to this area next. Actually, the more I think about it, the more I like Amazon than any web retailers out there.

To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (52292)	4/22/1999 10:35:00 PM
From: Glenn D. Rudolph	Respond to of 164684

Shares of chip equipment makers surge on bullish data (previous New York, adds details, recasts) SAN FRANCISCO, April 21 (Reuters) - Shares of semiconductor equipment makers surged on Wednesday after analysts made bullish comments about a recovery in the once-downtrodden sector, after monthly data again showed a rise in orders. Late Tuesday evening, Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International released March book-to-bill data, a key economic indicator for the industry, showing a 14 percent jump in worldwide bookings and a book-to bill ratio of 1.30. A book-to-bill of 1.30 means that for every $130 in orders received, $100 worth of products were shipped. "In what is becoming a recurring theme, book to bill in March was up for the sixth straight month, indicating that order recovery continues," said Min Pang, an SG Cowen & Co. analyst, in a note to clients. "We believe that the most important nugget gleaned from an analysis of the numbers is that...orders are finally starting to broaden out beyond the likes of Teradyne and Applied Materials." Shares of the world's largest semiconductor equipment maker, Applied Materials Inc., jumped $4.625, closing at $61.375 in very active trading. Pang reiterated a strong buy rating on Applied, Teradyne Inc. and Credence Systems Corp. Other equipment makers also soared. Novellus Systems Inc. <NVLS.O> surged $9.625 to close at $57.50, KLA Tencor Inc. <KLAC.O> rose $4.75 to $54.75, and Lam Research Inc. <LRCX.O> added $3.625 to close at $31.6875. Shares of Credence <CMOS.O> and Teradyne <TER.N> also rose. Donaldson Lufkin Jenrette analyst Robert Maire raised his ratings on both companies and upped their earnings estimates, due to the positive industry data. Credence closed at $28 up $2.875 and Teradyne ended up $1.50 to close at 55, both in active trading. "We are on track for the "U" shaped recovery everyone has been talking about," Maire said in a statement. "We should see most every player firmly back in a more "normal"(if there is such a thing as normal in this industry) operational model by the fall." Semiconductor equipment makers are now exiting a long-running industry slump as their customers, semiconductor makers, were hurt by too much manufacturing capacity, sharp price cuts in the memory chip market, a glut of certain products and an economic malaise in many Asian countries. "First quarter orders have been stronger than expected and the bookings for March are up 139 percent from bottom of the cycle in September 1998," said Stanley Myers, president of SEMI, in a press release on the March data. "Reports coming out of Asia seem to suggest that the economies there are recovering sooner than expected and IC (integrated circuit) manufacturers, especially in Korea and Taiwan, are starting to order," Myers added, calling the report "encouraging news."