Worldwide Chip Sales Rise 10.5% in 4th Qtr, More Than Expected
Bloomberg News
February 5, 1999, 12:21 p.m. PT
Worldwide Chip Sales Rise 10.5% in 4th Qtr, More Than Expected
San Jose, California, Feb. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Global computer-
chip sales rose 10.5 percent in the fourth quarter from those in
the third quarter, buoyed by sales in Asia Pacific and Europe,
the Semiconductor Industry Association said.
The San Jose, California-based SIA said the results were
better than earlier forecasts of only a slight increase, mostly
because chipmakers cut spending on new plants, reducing the
supply of products and keeping prices stable. Strong PC demand
also helped bolster results.
''This stabilization bodes well for favorable sales in
1999,'' said George Scalise, president of the SIA. Dataquest
Inc., an independent research firm, expects 1999 chip sales to
rise 15 percent in 1999, after falling for the past three years.
Sales in Asia Pacific in December rose 2.4 percent to $2.65
billion from $2.58 billion in the year-ago period, and sales in
Europe rose 5.0 percent to $2.697 billion. December sales in the
Americas fell 3.9 percent to $3.65 billion, while sales in Japan
fell 8.3 percent to $2.32 billion.
Total chip sales in December fell slightly to $11.31 billion
from $11.39 billion in November. That's down from total sales of
$12.11 billion in December 1997.
For the year, chip sales fell 8.4 percent to $125.6 billion
from $137.2 billion, the SIA said. |
