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Technology Stocks : Semi Equipment Analysis -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Gottfried who wrote (3157)	5/16/2002 10:17:55 PM
From: Return to Sender	Respond to of 95515

SEMI's chip equipment book-to-bill at highest level in two years Semiconductor Business News (05/16/02 19:30 p.m. EST) SAN JOSE -- The book-to-bill ratio for North American-based suppliers of chip production systems rose to 1.20 in April from 1.05 in the prior month, said the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) trade group today. SEMI's Express Report book-to-bill reading is now at its highest point since June 2000, when the monthly index stood at 1.27. "While the jump in April's numbers likely reflect an end-of-quarter up-tick in bookings, the fact that we have seen bookings improve for five consecutive months is a promising sign that the market for semiconductor equipment is beginning to recover from the downturn of 2001," said Stanley Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. "Recent announcements by leading foundries of increased capital spending plans for 2002 are another sign of an brightening market outlook," said Myers, referring to hikes in planned investments at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. and United Microelectronics Corp. The April book-to-bill of 1.20 means North American-based suppliers were receiving $120 worth of new orders for $100 of products billed in the month. The book-to-bill stood at 1.05 in March. SEMI said orders totaled $982.0 million in April, based on a three-month moving average, while billings were at $821.5 million last month. While the book-to-bill is reaching up to the levels recorded two years ago, the size of the business is still much smaller than it was in 2000. For example, the 1.27 book-to-bill reading in June 2000 consisted of $2.26 billion in billings and $2.86 billion in orders. But conditions for chip tool suppliers are improving from the worst semiconductor downturn in history. April's three-month average of worldwide bookings by North American suppliers was 17% above $836 million in March and 36% higher than $721 million in April 2001, SEMI said. The three-month average of worldwide billings last month was 3% above $798 million in March but 50% below $1.65 billion in April 2001. siliconstrategies.com RtS