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[marketmaven]

Chip-equipment stocks turn higher (ignore that pesky data!)
Book-to-bill ratio drops for third straight month

By Michael Paige, CBS.MarketWatch.com Aug. 20, 2004

LOS ANGELES (CBS.MW) -- Chip-equipment companies' shares turned higher Friday as investors shrugged off overnight data showing that the industry's orders in July contracted for a third month. In recent trading, the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index ($SOX: news, chart, profile) gained 0.5 percent to 387.14. The Goldman Sachs Hardware Index ($GHA: news, chart, profile) gained 1 percent to 228.53. The Nasdaq Composite Index ($COMPQ: news, chart, profile), home to many technology stocks, rose 0.8 percent to 1,834.93..

After the close of Thursday's session, key industry data showed that the book-to-bill ratio for North American makers of tools to produce chips once again contracted, coming in at 1.05 to 1. In June, the ratio tightened to 1.07 to 1 from May's 1.1 to 1. The ratio, calculated from data collected by Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International, measures the value of orders received against the value of products shipped. The industry group continues to foresee strong sales for the year and added that orders remain at their highest level since early 2001. Applied Materials (AMAT: news, chart, profile) added 23 cents, or 1.45 percent, to $16.11 and Novellus (NVLS: news, chart, profile) gained 29 cents, or 1.15 percent, to trade at $25.44. KLA-Tencor (KLAC: news, chart, profile) put on 48 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $37.71.