Chip machinery maker ASML posted a loss of €104m in the second quarter of 2008 but says it does see signs of a slight improvement in sales.

The loss is not as great as analysts had forecast.
Turnover was up at €277m and ASML expects third-quarter sales to increase to some €450m.
While it is still too soon to talk of recovery, clients are returning and companies are daring to invest in new machines, CFO Peter Wennink said in a company video.
‘We closed the second quarter with weak but better than anticipated sales, and managed to generate cash in this very difficult market environment, similar to that of the first quarter of the year when our customers virtually froze their capital purchases,’ said CEO Eric Meurice in a statement.