1.   Shares of computer equipment companies nationwide surged after several members of the industry reported earnings that exceeded expectations.

2.   North-East office equipment company NEP has bought the fax and photocopier division of crashed business Hill International.

3.   Mr Tennant, chairman of the Darlington office equipment company Graham Tennant Ltd, discovered last year he was suffering from cancer.

4.   A Nottinghamshire mining equipment company which went into receivership in September has been sold to the three men who founded the firm two decades ago.

5.   Although summer is normally a slow time for office equipment companies, Xerox and its competitors did brisk sales in July and August.

6.   Among other Italian shares, Olivetti SpA, the telecommunications and office equipment company, is seen being active next week.

7.   Among the companies Gendreau singled out were ECI Telecom Ltd., a telecommunications equipment company, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, a drug company.

8.   And earlier this month Ericsson, the giant Swedish telecommunications equipment company, said it is looking to acquire start-ups from its new data networking headquarters in Burlington.

9.   Analysts say part of the problem is that expectations surrounding the equipment companies before the telecommunications bill was signed were too optimistic.

10.   And the direction made me nervous enough to back away from equipment companies.