.....and this from Japan just to remind us not to take anything for granted as we approach earnings announcement. Jeff
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DEC ORDERS FOR JAPANESE CHIP-MAKING EQUIPMENT FALL 40%
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Story Filed: Monday, February 15, 1999 11:25 PM EST
TOKYO, Feb 16, 1999 (Asia Pulse via COMTEX) -- Orders for Japanese-made semiconductor-manufacturing equipment, including exports, came to 49.76 billion yen in December 1998, for a year-on-year drop of 40% and the 13th straight month of declines, according to the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan.
But the decline's size narrowed by 19.7 percentage points from November 1998, indicating the market may be emerging from its worst phase.
Orders for mask-and-reticle equipment increased by about 480% from December 1997, but orders for wafer-making equipment fell 85.7%.
The value of orders from the Japanese market, including imports, fell 35.9%, for the 12th straight month of year-on-year declines. But the size of the decline likewise narrowed from the previous month, dropping 19.9 points.
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