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Technology Stocks : Semi-Equips - Buy when BLOOD is running in the streets! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Paul V. who wrote (3534)	11/19/1997 11:21:00 AM
From: Teri Skogerboe	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10921

Paul and Thread, MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 19, 1997--The North American semiconductor equipment industry posted a book-to-bill ratio of 1.06 for October 1997, it was reported by Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI). A book-to-bill of 1.06 means $106 in orders were received for each $100 worth of products shipped. Three-month average shipments declined slightly in October 1997 to $1.5 billion. The figure is five percent below the September 1997 level but 44 percent above the October 1996 level. Three-month average bookings decreased in October 1997 to $1.6 billion. The bookings figure declined eight percent below the September 1997 level but is 97 percent above the October 1996 level. "It is not unusual for shipments and bookings to slow a bit in the fourth quarter. What is important is that current order levels for front end equipment have nearly doubled in the last twelve months," said Dick Greene, principal analyst with SEMI. "It is cost effective for device makers to invest in new technology; this may support continued growth of technology buys going forward." The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving average bookings to three-month moving average shipments. Shipments and bookings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars. Month Shipments Bookings Book-to-Bill May 97 1,299.4 1,421.0 1.09 June 97 1,374.6 1,474.3 1.07 July 97 1,475.8 1,658.7 1.12 August 97 (final) 1,535.7 1,688.1 1.10 September (revised) 1,635.5 1,780.7 1.09 October (preliminary) 1,547.7 1,637.7 1.06 -0- The data contained in this release was compiled by the independent public accounting firm of Arthur Andersen LLP, without audit, from data submitted directly by the participants. Arthur Andersen LLP can assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the underlying data. The data are contained in a monthly Express Report published by SEMI that tracks shipments and orders for equipment used to manufacture semiconductor devices, not shipments and orders of the chips themselves. Based in Mountain View, Calif., SEMI is an international trade association serving more than 2,000 companies participating in the $65 billion semiconductor and flat panel display equipment and materials markets. SEMI maintains offices in Austin, Beijing, Boston, Brussels, Hsinchu, Moscow, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. Visit SEMI OnLine at www.semi.org . Note to Editors: Detailed graph available upon request. --30--nc/sf* jsj CONTACT: SEMI Jonathan Davis, 650/940-6937 jdavis@semi.org