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To: yard_man who wrote (28806)	2/23/1998 10:51:00 AM
From: TREND1	Respond to of 53903

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--Orders for North American semiconductor production equipment fell 10% in January to $1.38 billion compared to bookings of $1.53 billion in December, according to new market data released by a trade group here. Sales of systems also slipped 5% to $1.47 billion compared to $1.54 billion, said Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI). The drop in capital equipment orders and sales pushed SEMI's book-to-bill ratio to its lowest level in more than a year at 0.94, meaning $94 in new bookings were received for $100 worth of products shipped by North American suppliers. SEMI's three-month moving averages for semiconductor equipment orders and shipments remained higher than a year ago, but the new report reflects the strong impact of Asia's financial crisis on plant investments. SEMI also said persistent weakness in DRAMs has caused Asian chip makers to reassess and scale back capital spending at the start of 1998. "Although chip makers may reevaluate capital spending for new capacity, purchases of advanced equipment for next-generation device technology are expected to continue, even in the DRAM business," said Dick Greene, principal analyst with SEMI. In January, orders for semiconductor equipment were 24% higher than a year ago, while shipments were 42% above 1996 levels, said SEMI. The trade group also revised its final December and November book-to-bill ratios to parity at 1.0, up from the preliminary figures of 0.97 and 0.98.