Oct. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Intel Corp., Microsoft Corp. and the technology companies that so far have escaped the credit crisis relatively unscathed will lose out on as much as $170 billion in sales next year as the crunch catches up with them.
Corporate spending on computers, software and communications equipment may be little changed or fall as much as 5 percent next year as the lending freeze spooks clients, said Jane Snorek, an analyst at First American Funds in Minneapolis who has followed the industry for 13 years. It would be the first decline in the $3.41 trillion market since 2001 after the dot-com bubble burst.
.Intel had fallen 43 percent this year before today in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. The shares rose 58 cents to $15.77 at 9:46 a.m. in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. Microsoft had declined 40 percent this year. Its stock advanced $1.19 to $22.69.
