Technology Bellwether Intel Ups Third Quarter Forecast

Technology financial performance bellwether Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) raised
its outlook for the third quarter, saying it now expects revenue to be
$9 billion, plus or minus $200 million — a significant increase over
the previous range of $8.5 billion, plus or minus $400 million.

That could be good news for the technology sector as a whole. Chipmaker
Intel and other chipmakers make the basic physical building blocks that
underlie all IT solutions.

The upgraded expectations follow recent positive statements from
executives at PC and server makers Dell and HP about an expected
increase in demand following the release of Microsoft Windows 7 and
further chip advances from Intel and its smaller rival AMD.

Intel says the gross margin percentage for Q3 is expected to be in the
upper half of the previous range of 53 percent, plus or minus two
percentage points. All other expectations remain the same, the company
says in a prepared statement.