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Wall Street's confidence in the high-margin, low-volatility analog semiconductor sector has waned a bit. Although analog semiconductor stocks have been a safer bet for investors compared with other chip issues, […]

Integrated Circuits Systems Inc. can't seem to keep its chief executives for very long. After just one year in his position as president and chief executive, Stavro Prodromou has resigned […]

Drop in DRAM prices, Sterling buy pushed bottom line down in 3Q Despite a 28% rise in sales, pricing pressure on DRAMs and disk drives hindered Marshall Industries' growth in […]

Analog Devices Inc. finally freed itself from its unprofitable hard disk drive IC business last week when it sold its read channel ASIC technology to Adaptec Inc. for $34 million, […]

Hard times have fallen, once again, on Anadigics Inc. After the company proved to be a competent IC supplier to the commercial market following glitches associated with increasing yields, the […]

Although the latest quarter proved to be a healthy one for leading contract electronics manufacturers, Solectron Corp. and Jabil Circuit Inc. last week warned that a slowdown in equipment demand […]

When Intel Corp. ran away with the PC chip set market nearly four years ago, several suppliers, including VLSI Technology Inc., sought safe haven in the wireless-communications industry, where business […]

In an effort to lessen its dependence on the glutted hard drive market, Unitrode Corp. last week agreed to buy Benchmarq Microelectronics Inc. in a $135 million stock swap. The […]

In an attempt to protect itself from its manufacturing problems, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. has signed a deal to have IBM Corp. build the company's flagship K6 microprocessor. The two-year […]

Three years after it lost a bid to acquire Symbios Logic Inc., Adaptec Inc. said last week that it would buy the company from troubled Hyundai Electronics America for $775 […]

IBM Corp. last week said it plans to set up a wholly owned subsidiary in Shenzhen, China, to make and distribute hard drive mag- netoresistive (MR) heads. IBM will initially […]

Hadco Corp., continuing its aggressive acquisition strategy, last week agreed to purchase Continental Circuits Corp. for $218 million in cash and debt. Continental Circuits, a maker of multilayered circuit boards […]

Silicon Valley- In an effort to lower the bill of materials costs to satisfy the needs of sub-$1,000 PCs, Analog Devices Inc. this week will introduce three power management devices […]

When semiconductor analysts reflect on the fourth quarter of 1997, there's only one word they can use to describe it - disappointing. Several factors in the quarter caused earnings to […]

The electronics industry got the year off to a healthy start last month, as inventories and new-order levels posted sharp increases over December, according to purchasers polled for EBN's Quest […]

In September 1996, when CP Clare Corp.'s management took a long, hard look at its operational inefficiencies, the company's weak supply chain management structure stood out. "We think we can […]

Shareholders of Computer Products Inc. and Zytec Corp. last week approved the companies' $360 million merger that will create one of the leading power supply manufacturers with annual revenue exceeding […]

Investors can't seem to get enough of the high-technology industry. Interest in the high-tech sector is so strong that it helped push overall venture-capital investments in the third quarter of […]

Most manufacturers of hard drives are having a tough time. As Seagate Technology Inc. and Western Digital Corp. have grappled over the last two quarters with excess inventory, product transitions, […]

In preparing for the "next level of growth," Unitrode Corp. last week appointed Robert J. Richardson president and chief executive, replacing Edward H. Browder and Robert J. Gable, respectively. In […]

A gradual rise in new orders during the early summer months was the basis for analysts' sanguine outlook for the semiconductor industry in the third quarter. But while unit shipments […]

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) predicts that the semiconductor industry will rebound in 1998 and 1999, after coming off sluggish growth of 5.5% this year. Global IC sales are expected […]

Although production and new orders continued to strengthen last month, the rate of expansion in the electronics industry slowed a bit. Still, continued strong activity provided a healthy finish to […]

OEMs' confidence in Advanced Micro Devices Inc. waned last week, as the company warned the financial community for the second time that third-quarter results would not meet expectations because of […]

Intel Corp. continued to strengthen its networking business last week when it agreed to acquire Dayna Communications Inc., a privately held maker of networking products for small businesses, for an […]

Cypress Semiconductor Corp. last week said it intends to raise roughly $150 million to fund wafer-fab expansion and future acquisitions, which will help bring the San Jose-based chip maker to […]

Quality Semiconductor Inc. has recently taken steps to guard against a hostile takeover by adopting a shareholder-rights plan. Although the company claims it is not currently being pursued for acquisition, […]

A sharp rise in supplier deliveries and electronic materials inventories pushed EBN's QUEST index to its highest level this year. The index jumped from 55.3 in July to 57.3 in […]

Wall Street mavens are stumped. The summer doldrums usually result in a sell-off of semiconductor stocks from May through July. But this year, despite some seasonal weaknesses, investors have held […]

It was round two between Intel Corp. and Digital Equipment Corp. last week, when Intel filed its "intended counterclaim" against Digital for infringement of 14 Intel patents. While the claims […]

The electronics industry continued to heat up in July, led by growth in production and new orders. But the rate of expansion retrenched a bit when compared with June, as […]

Second-quarter results of major OEMs followed the trends begun in the first quarter in the PC industry - market-share gains by top-tier PC OEMs, as well as significant declines in […]

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. last week reported weaker-than-expected net income in its fiscal 1997 second quarter. The company attributed the decline to pricing pressure in the flash market, the rapid […]

Motorola Inc. last week reported a 10% increase in sales in its fiscal 1997 second quarter, totaling $7.5 billion compared with $6.8 billion a year ago. However, profits in the […]

While the Semiconductor Industry Association's (SIA's) latest global billings report indicates continued recovery in the chip industry, the 13-month high in May sales raises the question of why many chip […]

PC sales and chip demand are lackluster, but OEMs could be witnessing nothing more than the calm before the storm: component shortages are looming in 1998, analysts warned. Based on […]

Weak demand and low prices for PC audio and graphics chips are putting a damper on the financial performances of Opti Inc. and Trident Microsystems Inc., both of which are […]

The price of palladium soared to a 17-year high last week, rattling passive-component suppliers dependent on the raw material. The latest price developments are likely to force suppliers to step […]

Warnings last week about weaker-than-expected current-quarter financial results from some bellwether companies gave Wall Street the jitters, as the perception of PC demand went from "healthy" to uncertain. Seagate Technology […]

Business conditions in the electronics industry continued to stand on high ground in May, as production and new orders picked up momentum, according to EBN's latest QUEST index. The QUEST […]

Weak memory prices in 1996 severely cut into the fiscal 1997 profits of several Japanese electronics companies, including Fujitsu Ltd., Hitachi Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corp., NEC Corp., and Toshiba Corp. […]

In a cash and stock deal worth about $208 million, CTS Corp. and Dynamics Corp. of America last week signed a definitive agreement to merge operations. The combined company will […]

To improve its competitive position in the power-semiconductor market, International Rectifier Corp. last week announced a restructuring program that includes layoffs of approximately 150 employees, or 5% of its work […]

Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s fiscal 1997 first-quarter results, reported last week, were not much better than the numbers the company posted last year. Sales of $552 million were essentially flat […]

Rockwell International Corp. last week agreed to acquire ComStream Corp.'s Hi-Media broadband communications chip-set unit for approximately $50 million. The deal is expected to close in May, after U.S. government […]

New York - Bell Industries Inc. is consolidating its sales and marketing operations with those of Milgray Electronics Inc., which it acquired in January, the company announced last week. The […]

New York - Increased production and orders, coupled with stable inventories, helped the electronics industry continue to grow in February, according to purchasers polled for EBN's latest QUEST index. The […]

New York - A nearly five-year delay in the introduction of its third-generation product line, coupled with stepped-up competition, continues to stymie Vicor Corp.'s sales and earnings growth. But analysts […]

New York - A decline in production and new orders contributed to the slowdown in economic activity in the manufacturing sector in January, according to the latest "Report On Business" […]

New York - Many of the major PC OEMs, excluding Apple Computer Inc., had another healthy quarter, despite complaints of weak unit demand from the consumer sector. Top- and bottom-line […]