For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – December 10, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the latest Industry Outlook. Today, Zacks Equity Research discusses the Consumer Electronics Industry, including Microsoft (MSFT), Google (GOOG), Nokia (NOK), Disney (DIS) and Viacom (VIA).

A synopsis of today’s Industry Outlook is presented below. The full article can be read at http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/28120/Consumer+Electronics+Stock+Review.

Consumer Electronics Stock Review

The strongest driver in consumer electronics this holiday season is likely to be the netbooks. According to ABI Research, 35 million netbooks will be shipped in 2009. As per the most recent data released by Gartner, PC shipments in 2009 are expected to rise 2.8%, up from the previous forecast of a 2% decline, thanks to the increased sale of inexpensive consumer notebooks and netbooks. We expect PC sales to show positive gains in the first half of 2010.

Netbooks are

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The economic downturn has weighed heavily on the fortunes of the Consumer Electronics industry. Consumer electronics sales stagnated in 2008 and through most of 2009 as a result of the deteriorating economic conditions in the U.S. With little to no revenue growth, consumer electronics companies have been resorting to cost-cutting and share repurchases to drive bottom-line growth. In the first half of 2009, 50% of the world’s electronic equipment makers experienced revenue declines. Inventory drawdown from last year further impacted volumes in major consumer electronics categories. The recession hit the consumer electronics industry in the back half of 2008, pulling down annual revenue numbers. The average U.S. household spent $1,229 on consumer electronics in 2008, a 12.5% decline from 2007. All consumer electronics companies witnessed significant gross margin declines, as prices went down year over year. As a result, leading hardware companies started pushing units to sustain revenue ...

Semiconductor Industry Trying to Survive

Tony Daltorio, The Investment U Research Team

The financial downturn and global recession has hit the semiconductor industry hard.

Orders for microchips were almost non-existent at the end of 2008 as computers and mobile phones languished unsold on retailers’ shelves.

According to the Semiconductor Industry Association, global semiconductor sales fell 2.8 percent last year and are expected to fall a further 21.5 percent to $195.6 billion this year.

Despite the positive reaction in the stock market to the latest sales figures from Intel (INTC),the world’s biggest chipmaker, the numbers were mixed at best. Intel did enjoy a sales revival driven by consumers buying cheaper, smaller netbooks, but revenues fell in Europe and sales in the key business customer area were weak.

Let’s take a closer look at the semiconductor industry for profit opportunities.

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