Semiconductor-Equipment Sector Showing Signs Of Improvement, Says Barron's

Eric Savitz of Barron's sees signs of improvement in the semiconductor equipment sector. After the drastic dip last year, when the sector simply stopped growing, and there were massive layoffs and decimation of revenue, this is going to be welcome news to investors.

Take the example of Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT), a premier player in the industry. AMAT reported earning's last week for the fiscal fourth quarter, a revenue of $1.53 billion. Though the figure was 25% less than last year's, it was almost 33% above its Q3 results. It was also well ahead of Street speculations.