Five electronics makers swung into losses in the first half of the 2001 business year, plagued by the global slump in the information technology industry, according to interim earnings reports released Tuesday.
Markets for semiconductors, cell phones and personal computers, which helped makers boost profits the previous year, ended up causing deep plunges in performance this year.
Sharp falls in prices for semiconductors, such as dynamic random access memory chips for multipurpose use, pushed the companies into restructuring those operations.