Amkor Technology, a Chandler-based semiconductor assembly and testing company, said this week its fourth-quarter sales will be lower than previous estimates because of further weakness in consumer spending.

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said Wednesday that some gas wholesalers and retailers doubled or tripled their profits last summer, in part because they took advantage of supply worries in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said Wednesday that some gas wholesalers and retailers doubled or tripled their profits last summer, in part because they took advantage of supply worries in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Intel Corp.’s first-quarter profit fell 38 percent Wednesday as PC sales slowed and the world’s largest chip maker continued to face stiff competition from smaller rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc.

CHICAGO - Reflecting cautious optimism about 2004, a survey of U.S. manufacturers found that many more are planning to add jobs than to cut them this year amid what’s forecast to be the biggest increase in manufacturing production since 1999.

SAN JOSE, CALIF. - Apple blew past Wall Street expectations Wednesday, posting quarterly profits that jumped 88 percent, fueled by strong sales of its iPod players and Macintosh computers.

Slumping sales amid an ongoing controversy over the safety of its stun guns triggered a steep decline in thirdquarter profit for Scottsdalebased Taser International.

Within days of each other this week, Exxon Mobil said it earned $8 billion in the first quarter and ConocoPhillips said its net income for the same time was $3.29 billion. By the time Chevron reported its income Friday, the nation’s three largest oil companies had nearly $16 billion in profits during the first quarter.

Within days of each other this week, Exxon Mobil said it earned $8 billion in the first quarter and ConocoPhillips said its net income for the same time was $3.29 billion.

SAN FRANCISCO - Intel Corp. whacked more than $1 billion from its fourth-quarter revenue forecast and ratcheted down its profit expectations because a clampdown on spending is reducing demand for its chips.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Intel Corp.'s fourth-quarter profit plunged 39 percent as the world's largest chip maker endured a painful price war with much-smaller rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and continued to pay for a massive restructuring.

NEW YORK - For U.S. retailers, the phrase “challenging environment” has become a shared refrain for one of the toughest quarters in decades. And merchants expect the climate to remain rough for the rest of the year as higher gas and food costs as well as slumping home prices weigh on shoppers.

NEW YORK - Investors head into the week with a bit more resolve that U.S. companies are doing a better-than-expected job managing their way through an economy stifled by unprecedented turmoil in the housing and credit markets.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Intel Corp. is the king of microprocessors, the semiconductors known as the brains of computers. Since the 1980s, the Silicon Valley giant has stayed ahead with a simple mantra: Make its chips faster.

Across the nation, drivers are paying record prices for gasoline. East Valley drivers are no exception.

Even after sharply reducing its outlook for the fourth quarter, Intel Corp. said Wednesday that it would miss its revenue projection by about $500 million, a sign that personal computer makers and other buyers of its semiconductor products are being more tightfisted than it seemed only two months ago.

Scottsdale-based Dial Corp. reported another stellar year with sales of $346.7 million for the quarter ending Dec. 31.

NEW YORK (AP) — A glut of solar panels that has led to a worldwide drop in panel prices dragged profits down 62 percent for FirstSolar in the second quarter.

Microchip Technology, the Chandler-based microcontroller producer, is giving up its efforts to acquire rival Atmel Corp.

Shares of Syntax-Brillian Corp., the Tempe-based producer of high definition televisions, lost about one-fourth of their value in after-hours trading Wednesday after the company issued a disappointing revenue forecast for the current quarter and announced that its chief financial officer is leaving.

SAN JOSE, CALIF. - It was supposed to be Advanced Micro Devices’ day Monday with the launch of its highly touted new server chip, but Intel Corp. swooped in and stole some of the headlines from its smaller rival with a boosted financial forecast.

AUSTIN, Texas - Dell Inc. founder and chairman Michael Dell defended his company's recent stock declines and said Thursday he remains confident in the direct-sales model that helped create the world's largest PC maker.

Freescale Semiconductor said Wednesday its first quarter profit more than doubled from a year ago, thanks to an especially strong performance in its wireless operations.

ON Semiconductor Corp. racked up its 12th consecutive quarterly loss in the three-month period ending Dec. 31, the company said Monday.