BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)

TECHNOLOGY

Global chip sales up 2.5% in Oct.

Firms sold $10.43 bil of chips, the first rise in a year, the Semiconductor Industry Association said. SIA said inventories are in line with demand, and chip prices are rising after a brutal price war. U.S. and European sales led the way.

SIA expects sales to keep improving. But analysts don't see a rapid rebound yet, noting sales fell 44% from a year ago.

Micron, Korea's Hynix in talks

The rivals plan on alliance talks and possibly a merger. A merger would create the No. 1 memory chip maker, topping Samsung Electronics. In late Oct. creditors rescued Hynix in a $7 bil plan. The tech slump has roiled the commoditized memory industry. Infineon and Toshiba have held merger talks. Micron rose 1.51, or 5%, to 28.56.

IBM ...