Investopedia: Atmel's Ironic Warning

Here's a riddle for investors: when is bad news actually good news? The answer: When the bad news is less bad than already feared. That very much seems to be the case for Atmel (Nasdaq:ATML) this Friday, as this small semiconductor's stock has actually held up quite well, despite a sizable revision to sales guidance for the fourth quarter.

The Bad News 

Atmel announced that fourth quarter revenue was going to be approximately $384 million for the fourth quarter; not only down 20% from the third quarter, but quite a bit lower than the average analyst estimate ($412 million) and the lowest estimate ($403 million).

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