E-Commerce Blog

Semiconductor industry watcher iSuppli lowered its 2008 revenue forecast Thursday from 4 percent growth to 3.5 percent. The research firm expects revenue in the chip industry to top US$280.1 billion, roughly $10 billion more than the industry earned in 2007. “Four percent had been our forecast for a while now. Revising down our forecast to 3.5 percent we were recognizing some specific issues in the semiconductor industry that caused us to bring it down,” Dale Ford, an iSuppli analyst, told the E-Commerce Times.

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iSuppli Darkens Semi Outlook

Technology giant IBM injected some much-needed good news into the stock market Thursday when it made a surprise announcement that its third-quarter profit beat Wall Street estimates by 4 cents per share. The financial report, which came a week early, sent shares of Big Blue up nearly 2 percent to about $92, curbing a steep slide in the company’s stock price that began last summer. In October alone, IBM shares plummeted 23 percent.

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IBM Gives Investors Early Good News but Markets Still Slide

Shares of Silicon Valley chip giant Intel closed up nearly 8.5 percent at just under $19 Tuesday on news that an equity analyst at investment bank Piper Jaffray upgraded the stock to a buy rating. The upgrade comes at a time when shares of other chipmakers such as Advanced Micro Devices and Texas Instruments are trading well below their 52-week highs. Intel’s stock is also benefiting from the belief that it’s a relatively safe investment at a time when Wall Street is reeling.

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Intel Stands Firm as Wall Street Wobbles

The stock of Research In Motion plunged in extended trading Thursday after the BlackBerry maker said the cost of launching new smart phones would eat into near-term profits. The company is launching three major new models in the current quarter, and the cost of ramping up production will trim the company’s gross profit margin, co-Chief Executive Jim Balsillie said. “We really just pack it full of features and cost-reduce later,” Balsillie said of the new models. “There will be an impact on hardware gross margin.”

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RIM Shaken Following Weak Outlook

Silicon Valley semiconductor company Transmeta has put itself up for sale. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based chip designer hired investment bank Piper Jaffray in early 2008 to assist it in exploring options. The Transmeta board ultimately decided a sale of the company was the best strategy. Piper Jaffray will head up the effort to find a buyer. In after-hours trading, Transmeta stock was up nearly 20 percent, trading at about $16 per share.

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Transmeta Embarks on Hunt for Suitor