Global chip sales continue to slip in November
Peter Clarke, EE Times -- EDN, January 3, 2012
LONDON—The three-month average of worldwide sales of semiconductors was $25.13 billion for the month of November 2011, a decrease of 2.4 percent from the prior month when the equivalent sales figure was $25.74 billion, according to the US SIA (Semiconductor Industry Association) which was reporting figures from the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics organization.
On a year-to-date basis through November, worldwide semiconductor sales are just 0.8 percent higher compared to the same period last year, giving rise to the possibility that 2011 may end up being a recessionary year despite starting strongly in the first quarter.
All monthly data is given by the SIA as a three-month average although WSTS tracks actual monthly data. The SIA and other regional semiconductor industry bodies like to use the averaged data because it smoothes out the actual data that usually show troughs at the beginnings of the quarters and peaks at the ends of the quarters.
"Supply chain disruptions resulting from the floods in Thailand have impacted semiconductor sales in the near term, however OEM's are expected to recover production losses over the course of the next few months," said Brian Toohey, president of the SIA, in a statement. "November sales were additionally affected by the continuing European financial crisis which is having a broad impact on other economies and global demand."
On a geographic basis the America's region, Europe and Japan all fell back sequentially by about the same percentage to $4.59 billion, $3.03 billion and $3.82 billion respectively. The Asia-Pacific market, which is responsible for more than 50 percent of global chip purchases, fell back by higher percentage of 2.9 percent to $13.70 billion, but was the only region that was ahead on an annual comparison.
