Shares of Seagate Technology tumbled to a 52-week low Thursday after the hard-drive maker posted disappointing second-quarter results and gave a third-quarter outlook below Wall Street's expectations.

The bailout of financially troubled German memory chip maker Qimonda AG could be at risk as the company has an additional financing gap due to detoriating memory chip prices, people familiar with the matter told Dow Jones Newswires Thursday. The financing gap is around EUR300 million, these people said. One of them said additional financing needs may rise by the end of current calendar year.

China's economic growth slumped to 6.8% last quarter, dragging down the pace of expansion for all of 2008 to a seven-year low of 9% as the full force of the global financial crisis struck home.

Sony is considering consolidating its TV operation by eliminating production at one of its two factories in Japan, a company official said Thursday, amid speculation the company is falling into its first annual operating loss in 14 years.

Sumco, the world's second-largest maker of silicon wafers, lowered its full-year profit forecast 44%, citing a slump in demand amid a global recession. "While market visibility in December and January is best described as fumbling in complete darkness, we expect the conditions to bottom out in February to March," said company president Kenjiro Shigematsu.

Taiwan stocks reversed course to inch up 0.13% on Wednesday, the last trading day before the Lunar New Year holidays, with DRAM makers rallying amid growing investor expectations for a long-awaited industry restructuring.

In an effort to revive sagging momentum in key markets, Samsung Electronics decided to replace all eight heads of its overseas units, Wednesday. The sweeping reshuffle is part of the company's efforts to slim down its business structure for bigger profits and greater efficiency, a Samsung Group spokesman said in a briefing at its headquarters in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul.

More than 90 jobs are being shed in Boise because of production slowdowns at Micron Technology.

Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) cut its fiscal first-quarter guidance because of weak demand from consumers and customers' cuts in their inventories.

Apple executives hinted Wednesday that the company might legally contest the multitouch technology found within the Palm Pre.

Intel said on Wednesday it would close manufacturing plants in Malaysia and the Philippines and scale back US operations as part of a restructuring that affects as many as 6,000 employees.

Apple's fiscal first-quarter net income rose 1.9% on strong iPod sales, but the company predicted fiscal second-quarter results will be below Wall Street's expectations.