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

To: Return to Sender who wrote (31439)	7/13/2006 9:26:45 AM
From: Donald Wennerstrom	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 95638

Global chip equipment May sales +20.2 pct yr/yr July 13, 2006 03:01:04 (ET) TOKYO, July 13 (Reuters) - Global sales of chip-making equipment in May posted the highest percentage growth in 17 months and demand is expected to stay firm in the coming months, an industry group said on Thursday. Worldwide sales of tools used to make microchips came to $2.4 billion in May, up 20.2 percent from a year earlier, the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ) said. Consumers' robust appetite for mobile phones, personal computers and flat televisions is driving up demand for microchips that go into those products, prompting chip makers to boost production capacity. The SEAJ compiles the monthly data with another industry group, California-based Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI). An SEAJ spokesman said global orders in May rose more than 70 percent from a year earlier, although specific numbers cannot be disclosed, boding well for revenues at microchip makers. It usually takes about four to six months for orders to be reflected in sales figures. Major suppliers of chip-manufacturing gear, which stand to benefit from the firmer trend, include Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT,Trade), Tokyo Electron Ltd. ((8035.T)) and Advantest Corp. ((6857.T)). Underscoring robust microchip demand, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) ((2330.TW)), the world's largest contract chip maker, said on Monday that June sales rose 36 percent from the same month a year earlier. Following are May chip equipment sales figures (in million dollars, with percentage change from year earlier in parentheses): Value year/year Japan 560.322 (+38.8) N. America 461.615 (+13.9) Europe 219.215 (+6.7) S. Korea 415.327 (+13.4) Taiwan 427.282 (+2.1) China 108.687 (+99.2) Others 228.921 (+42.9) OVERALL 2,421.369 (+20.2)