ASML Holding NV News

A battle being fought now in competitive benchmark studies at chip companies is going to dictate the lithography business environment for the next several years, according to Robert Castellano, president of market analysis company The Information Network .

Dutch semiconductor-equipment group ASML Holding was upgraded to buy from hold on Tuesday at Nomura, which cited evidence of a firm capital expenditure outlook and noted a recent stockprice correction.

Brion Technologies, an ASML company, has reached a multi-year agreement with Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd., one of the world's top dedicated semiconductor foundries, to implement a broad suite of computational lithography products.

European services giant ING Groep NV said Monday it will split itself in two, spinning off its insurance arm to simplify its business and issuing 7.5 billion euro in new shares to repay state bailout money.

Hynix Semiconductor Inc. recorded its first quarterly net profit in two years as prices for memory chips rose in a rapidly recovering market.

SuccessFactors Inc., a business-software maker, said it priced 12 million common shares at $15.50 per share.

Drug maker Novartis AG has posted a 1 percent increase in third-quarter net profit driven by strong sales from its pharmaceuticals division.

Italian automaker Fiat Group SpA on Wednesday posted its third straight quarterly loss due largely to falling sales of trucks and farm and construction equipment.

Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson on Friday said its losses widened to euro164 million in the third quarter, mainly due to plunging sales, but reassured the market by announcing it had secured new financing from external investors.

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ASML , the European chip-equipment maker, reported third-quarter earnings of 20 million euros , down from year-earlier earnings of 73 million euros, but a swing from a loss in its latest second quarter.

A surprisingly strong profit and outlook from Intel and much stronger-than-forecast results from J.P. Morgan Chase sent U.S. stock futures rallying and put a 10,000 level on the Dow Jones Industrial Average within reach.

ASML Holding NV, a key supplier to computer chip makers, reported Wednesday a net profit of euro20 million for the third quarter, ending a nine-month streak of losses, and said new orders had increased sharply.

But the prominent chip-equipment producer returned to profit after three consecutive quarters of losses.

ASML Holding NV today announces that the Supervisory Board intends to appoint Frederic Schneider-Maunoury as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer to the Board of Management, subject to notification of the general meeting of shareholders which is scheduled to be held on March 24, 2010.

Among the stocks expected to see active trading Thursday are the European food, drink and tobacco firms as well as ASML, Comcast, Corning, General Mills, Men's Wearhouse, Monsanto, Smith & Wesson, TI, Time Warner Cable and Williams Cos.

Business is improving in the fab tool sector. Two suppliers--Cymer Inc. and KLA-Tencor Corp.--have separately raised their forecasts.

The tech market has shown many signs of life recently, leading many investors -- myself included -- to believe that the worst is over .

European technology shares rose sharply on Thursday after positive outlook comments from chip maker Texas Instruments and chip equipment firm ASML .

U.S. stock futures on Thursday traded near 11-month highs as Texas Instruments and ASML upped their outlooks in an indication of strengthening demand for microchips.