To All:
Story re "new" SIA estimates starting in January:
Starting next January, the SIA, a San Jose, Calif., trade group, will replace the book-to-bill ratio with a world-wide figure that measures only sales, rather than comparing sales with orders. It will be called the global billings report. "The new program will give industry
observers a more accurate picture of trends in the world semiconductor market as business continues to expand and diversify," said Thomas Armstrong, president of the SIA.
The global report will include data on major chip markets: the Americas, Japan, Asia-Pacific and Europe.
Some analysts, however, are already complaining because the new yardstick won't track orders. "We buy stocks for the future, not the past," said Dan Niles at Robertson Stephens & Co. in San Francisco. "Sure, the book-to-bill wasn't that great, but it was all that we had
to give a forward-looking picture."
SOURCE: WSJ Interactive.
Best Regards,
Greg Gimelli |
