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To: TechHunter who wrote (20658)	1/20/1999 10:27:00 AM
From: BillyG	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25960

Semi equipment book to bill rises......... semibiznews.com A service of Semiconductor Business News, CMP Media Inc. Story posted 9 a.m. EST/6 a.m., PST, 1/20/99 Chip gear index rises again in December MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.-- Signs of a slow recovery in semiconductor capital equipment spending continued in December with North American suppliers posting a book-to-bill ratio of 0.94, according to new data released here by the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) trade group. The latest book-to-bill figure is an improvement over November's 0.84 ratio. SEMI's book-to-bill hit its lowest point in the current downturn in August and September when the ratio fell to 0.57. A book-to-bill of 0.94 shows equipment suppliers receiving $94 of new orders for $100 worth of products shipped. SEMI's three-month average for shipments slipped by 1% to $924.3 million in December from $932.1 million in November. December shipments were 41% lower than they were a year ago, SEMI said. Orders for semiconductor equipment rose 12% to $871.6 million from $780.9 million in November, based on SEMI's three-month average. December's orders were 44% below booking levels a year ago. "With the device industry showing some signs of strength in the fourth quarter, we are seeing some selective semiconductor equipment purchases," said Stanley Myers, president of SEMI. "The strength of the first quarter, however, will be key for the equipment industry. The consensus among analysts at SEMI's Industry Strategy Symposium last week was for a flat equipment market in 1999 and the next few months should test the validity of their forecasts."