Semiconductor stocks are already down 13 percent since June 30.

By the end of April this year, semiconductor stocks were up 20 percent over the previous 12 months.

While semiconductor stocks often move as a group, the differences among companies is becoming more important.

For a second day, semiconductor stocks continued to be weak.

That was a far greater drop than those of most other semiconductor stocks.

Not everyone agrees, however, that now is the time to buy semiconductor stocks.

But more recently, semiconductor stocks have been as likely to move counter to the index.

Semiconductor stocks were the strongest segment of the technology group.

Profit taking weakened many technology issues, particularly the semiconductor stocks.

It is also because semiconductor stocks performed so poorly in 1996, she said.