Just a lurker. Not sure but this article may be of interest.
canoe.com
SIA says world chip sales rise 4.8 percent in Nov.
PALO ALTO, Calif. (Reuters) - Worldwide sales of semiconductors rose 4.8 percent to $11.38 billion in November from
$10.86 billion in October, their strongest showing since December 1997 and the latest sign that the industry is pulling out of
its worst slump in a decade.
The Semiconductor Industry Association released its monthly figures on Friday, adding that chip sales had bottomed in July
and that 1998 would close out stronger than expected.
"November is the third consecutive month of strong chip growth, reversing a trend of sluggish sales, which bottomed in July
this year," said SIA President George Scalise. "Fourth quarter sales are surpassing our expectations and point to a stronger
close for 1998 than what was anticipated."
A rally in the Japanese and Asia-Pacific markets helped propel the November increase. According to the SIA's Global
Sales Report, sales in Japan and the Asia-Pacific climbed 7 percent and 4.8 percent, respectively, helped by a rally in the
Japanese yen.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Christmas kicked off strong personal computer sales, boosting sales for motherboards, of which
Asia-Pacific is the leading producer.
Chip sales in Europe also soared in November, rising 7.3 percent from October. Optimism over Europe's new currency, the
euro, translated into capital spending in November, bolstering the European economy. In the Americas market, sales
continued a steady increase, climbing 2 percent.
The October-November upswing is the biggest October-November jump since 1990.
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