That warning echoed throughout the tech sector Thursday, with one analyst calling it the "final straw" in downgrading another tech bellwether, Hewlett-Packard Co. October might turn out to be the worst month of the quarter, especially if credit markets revive. Daily headlines about the troubled global economy, the $700 billion bailout package and the crisis that basically dried up credit markets last month made it, in some sense, "an anomaly," said Forrester Research analyst Andrew Bartels. Still, it appears the fourth quarter could be even more disappointing than technology vendors already had expected. Businesses are cutting back spending by putting off equipment purchases and upgrades and laying off workers. Even software, considered a safer bet because it helps companies automate costly steps, will also likely take a hit. "It's inevitable that all technology companies, with varying degrees, will be running into the same thing," said Stephen Minton, an analyst for research firm IDC.