Shares of Intel, world’s largest chipmaker, jumped as much as 6 per cent after it issued a forecast calling for revenue of $8.8 billion to $9.2 billion in the current quarter, up from a previously forecast $8.1 billion to $8.9 billion.
Intel’s microprocessors are used in more than three-quarters of the world’s personal computers, so its results are a barometer for the global PC sector. Combined with results on Thursday from Dell Inc, Intel’s new forecast suggests that consumer demand is rebounding.
Intel also said in a statement that gross margins could well be stronger than it previously predicted. In July, it forecast a third-quarter gross margin of 53 per cent, plus or minus 2 percentage points, but now says the margin will most likely be at the upper half of that range.
Published 28 August 2009, 15:42 IST