Semiconductor Equipment Monitor
Staff -- Semiconductor International, 3/1/1998
| Economic Indicator |
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Semiconductor Equipment MonitorWorldwide equipment sales improved dramatically during the summer and early fall of 1997. September sales were 58.4% better than in September 1996, while the dollar value of equipment sold during October was a stunning 72.8% ahead of the October 1996 level.On a 12-month moving-total basis, the trend in equipment sales turned positive in October following seven consecutive months in negative territory. Sales to North American and Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) manufacturers were the strongest; during October, sales to these regions were more than double the level of the same month a year earlier. However, the order rates for semiconductor equipment that were received by North American suppliers decelerated a bit in November and December. Consequently, the book-to-bill ratio has fallen slightly below 1.00 for the first time in over a year. This is likely a precursor of the slower growth that will inevitably result from the turmoil in Asian currency and financial markets. It is still too early to make any confident predictions about what specific impact this will have on semiconductor equipment sales in 1998 and 1999. Needless to say, the situation will be watched closely by everyone in the business in the months ahead. |
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Sales Trends by Regional Market |
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| $ Billions | % Change from a year earlier | |||||||
| Total | Projected | Total | Projected | |||||
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | |
| World | 26.34 | 28.68 | 29.33 | 30.67 | 9.6 | 8.9 | 2.3 | 4.6 |
| Americas | 7.45 | 9.60 | 10.65 | 11.41 | 7.7 | 28.9 | 10.9 | 7.1 |
| Japan | 7.90 | 6.97 | 6.91 | 6.98 | 0.3 | -11.8 | -0.8 | 1.1 |
| Europe | 3.40 | 3.47 | 3.90 | 4.27 | 24.1 | 2.2 | 12.5 | 9.3 |
| Asia/Pacific | 7.59 | 8.64 | 7.87 | 8.01 | 17.1 | 13.9 | -8.9 | 1.7 |
| Historical Data: SEMI | Forecast: Cahners Economics | |||||||
