BUZZ-U.S. stocks: getting chipped

** Semis down 4 pct and lead losses as tech sector backpedals and drags S&P500 and Nasdaq lower

** Weak PC sales, pullback in growth stocks cited as reasons by one trader at a U.S. bulge-bracket who adds concerns building over Q2 forecasts which should be out over next few weeks

** UBS (NYSEArca: FBGX - news) downgrade of Advanced Micro Devices (NasdaqCM: AMD - news) to "sell" from "neutral" sends stock down 7.7 pct

** Weak US durable goods report lends to worries that strong dollar means chipmakers holding off on ordering new manufacturing equipment, analyst says

** Skyworks Solutions (Xetra: AWM.DE - news) , Lam Research, Avago Tech, NXP Semiconductor drop 3-6 pct

** US chip equipment makers KLA-Tencor, Applied Materials fall 3-5 pct

** Apple (NasdaqGS: AAPL - news) off 1.8 pct

** Close below the March 12 low for the Philadelphia SE Semiconductor Index would be bearish

** Sharp move lower in U.S. tech hit European chipmakers

** ARM falls 6 pct, its worst daily performance since February 2014, ASML and STmicro both down more than 4 pct (Messaging: lance.tupper.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net; Messaging: alasdair.pal.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net; Messaging: noel.randewich.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)