Technology Stocks

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks closed mixed yesterday as a rally in paper, steel and companies that will benefit from a robust economy was overshadowed by a second day's decline in technology issues.Stocks of so-called cyclical companies climbed for a second day as investors foresaw a longer economic expansion, a view that was brightened by Germany's first interest-rate cut in 10 months."What's starting to happen is a sense of economic longevity is finally coming in to play in the marketplace," said Phillip Schettewi, chief portfolio strategist at Loomis Sayles' Washington office.

Tessco Technologies Inc. of Hunt Valley reported Friday that its profits increased in its third quarter over the year before, although revenue was down by about 10 percent. Tessco, a provider of products for wireless broadband systems, earned $5.4 million, or 65 cents per share, in the third quarter ended in Dec. 30. That compares with $4.8 million, or 59 cents per share, for the corresponding quarter a year earlier. Revenue totaled $204.5 million, down from $226 million a year earlier.

Maryland technology stocks weren't spared yesterday's throttling as the Dow Jones industrial average fell 42.99 points and the Nasdaq combined composite index slipped 27.29 points.Comnet Corp., a Lanham-based software developer, led the group, losing 30 percent of its value. It closed at $13 a share, down $4.Alex. Brown Inc., the Baltimore-based investment banking firm, was pinched, too, as shares dropped $2.25 for a closing of $53.25. The firm is a major player in underwriting high-technology stocks.

Legg Mason star money manager Bill Miller believes the "worst has passed" in the stock market and the economy, and predicted that technology and financial stocks should continue to perform well in a recovery. In a quarterly letter to investors of his flagship Value Trust mutual fund released Wednesday, Miller said market performance in the second quarter was a break from the financial collapse that began when Lehman Brothers failed last fall. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose nearly 16 percent in the three months ending June 30, while his fund gained 29 percent, reversing two years of dismal performance.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks posted small gains yesterday as auto and technology stocks gained and the bond market rebounded.Stocks were lower for most of the day amid persistent concern that domestic interest rates are headed higher.Five weeks after the Federal Reserve Board raised interest rates for the first time since 1989, "the market's in a rebound phase," said Christine Callies, market analyst at Brown Bros. Harriman."The interest-rate conditions that had been favorable in the fourth quarter are no longer as favorable, but the market is developing enough new leadership in technology and what are sometimes called soft consumer cyclicals, like apparel manufacturers, that the rallies really aren't flukes," Ms. Callies said.

The first nagging investment question of 1995 was recently answered:Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan ended speculation by cutting interest rates a bit. Financial markets responded enthusiastically the quarter-of-a-percent decline and await further downward movement.Attention now turns to the second nagging investment question of 1995:How high will the boom in technology stocks go before it could conceivably crash and burn, dragging the stock market and mutual funds down with it?Funds specializing in technology and science gained an average of 28 percent the first half of this year, according to Lipper Analytical Services.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks, led by technology companies and the first decline in bond yields in more than a week, climbed yesterday amid expectations that Republican gains in mid-term elections will lead to a more pro-business Congress.Telephone, computer hardware and software and electrical equipment stocks surged as yields on benchmark 30-year Treasury bonds fell to 8.12 percent yesterday from 8.16 percent Monday, when yields reached their highest point since August 1991.For now, investors' optimism about the election outweighed concern about rising interest rates.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks were mixed across a range of industries yesterday, as technology issues were pulled down by a plunge in DSC Communications Corp.Major market indexes were little changed amid gains by a handful of companies, such as Aluminum Co. of America, with sales closely tied to the economy and consumer stocks such as Procter & Gamble Co.DSC, a maker of telephone and cable television equipment, touched off a late slide in technology stocks by announcing that third-quarter sales and earnings will fall short of expectations.

NEW YORK -- The U.S. stock market was carried higher on the back of strong technology, banking and transportation issues yesterday, although the market gave up much of its gains in the last hour of trade on profit-taking.With third-quarter earnings continuing to pour in, traders remained slightly hesitant and selective, which resulted in a quiet session. However, key market indexes ended the day in the green, with the Dow Jones industrial average up 30.64 points at 7,968.78.So far, earnings have delivered few bearish surprises, while technology companies have brought some good news to the table.

Cheers erupted from trading floors on Wall Street yesterday ** as the Dow Jones industrial average crossed the magical 5,000 mark twice before closing at 4,983.09.The index of 30 companies climbed to 5,000.07 about a half-hour after the opening bell and surged to a record 5,003.68 points before bouncing up and down and finally running out of steam. By day's end, the Dow was down 6.86 points.But the rally petered out as investors sold off technology stocks, trading them for more stable companies.

Alan Greenspan foresees unpleasantness and is not afraid to say so. The recent increase in Chinese stocks is "clearly unsustainable," the former Federal Reserve chairman warned last week. The United States isn't doing so great, either. "It is possible we can get a recession in the latter months of 2007," he said three months ago. Now he pipes up. Where were his courageous forecasts when we needed them - during the buildup of the 1999-2000 technology-stock bubble? And why is everybody listening now?

Like teenage drivers, technology firms can become more responsible with age. In a stock market capable of sudden and severe collisions, investors may not want to take a tech ride without a seatbelt. Only companies that exhibit some maturity can reasonably be considered alongside other, more stable investment choices. Call it conservative tech investing. Or at least more conservative than in the past because many firms are trying to become more predictable and trustworthy. They realize investors are still smarting from past disappointments.

A little knowledge can be harmful. Six years ago, my retired neighbor related to me why he had chosen to invest in a number of technology stocks. Each new holding was a breakthrough company, he explained, and his prior success with other tech stocks provided a firm foundation for taking everything to a higher level. This former stockbroker was advised by a son who worked in computers. Together, they constituted an investment team that would greatly enhance his retirement finances, he explained.

When Jeff Ryan thinks back to the days of the tech stock mania, he remembers a couple who owned a carpet business being interviewed on television. They had their savings invested in technology stocks. Asked why they selected one of the companies in their portfolio, they responded that they didn't know what it did but liked the name, said Ryan, a senior research analyst at the Charles Schwab investment firm. "You just knew at that point that something was wrong," Ryan said. "That's not a sound foundation for buying stocks."

What goes around comes around. Investors facing a disappointing first quarter can take heart that within the overall stock market some of last year's dogs became darlings, relatively speaking, in the new year. By the same token, several of last year's leaders are among this year's laggards. Rotation among sectors of the stock market, and among individual stocks, is a perennial theme in investing. Beware that your broker doesn't use the "rotation" pitch simply to churn your account. Stocks are weak this year across the board, after a strong rally last year.

The Dow Jones industrial average suffered its steepest decline in more than six months yesterday as investors concluded that the war in Iraq would not result in a quick U.S. victory. During early afternoon trading, the Dow, an index of blue-chip stocks, was down 336 points. By the end of the day, the Dow was off 307.29 points, or 3.6 percent, at 8,214.68, with all 30 of its stocks having declined. That was the Dow's steepest decline since Sept. 3, when it lost 355.45 points. Standard & Poor's 500 index, a broader measure of market performance, fell 31.56 points, or 3.5 percent, to 864.23 as 489 of its 500 members fell.

When Jeff Ryan thinks back to the days of the tech stock mania, he remembers a couple who owned a carpet business being interviewed on television. They had their savings invested in technology stocks. Asked why they selected one of the companies in their portfolio, they responded that they didn't know what it did but liked the name, said Ryan, a senior research analyst at the Charles Schwab investment firm. "You just knew at that point that something was wrong," Ryan said. "That's not a sound foundation for buying stocks."

Just two years ago, a wary T. Rowe Price Group Inc. watched largely from the sidelines as technology stocks made their stratospheric climb, causing its mutual funds to lag and critics to say the Baltimore-based firm was out of step with the "New Economy." Today the picture is drastically different. The cautious corporate culture that denied Price the huge gains on the way up shielded its fund holders from the big losses technology-heavy funds suffered on the way down. Price now has one of the strongest and safest stable of funds in the industry.

Seizing on an unexpectedly good earnings report from Cisco Systems Inc. as a reason to jump back into the stock market yesterday, optimistic investors sent the Dow Jones industrial average soaring more than 300 points and the Nasdaq to the eighth-biggest percentage gain in its history. "It's sure nice to see it. We had a rough six weeks," said Andy Brooks, head of equity trading at T. Rowe Price Associates in Baltimore. "It's overdue." Even so, analysts said they weren't sure yesterday's rally would be sustainable.