IPC: U.S. new orders for electronics

Staff Reporter -- Electronic Business, 10/18/2007

The following information is provided by IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries from its quarterly business report, the Supply Chain Tracker.
 
U.S. retail sales and industrial output slowed in August, as the economy felt the strain from the housing slump and credit squeeze.  U.S. new orders for electronic products remained flat in August.

Semiconductor shipment growth is up as expected in the second half of the year with the approaching holiday season. PCB shipments improved in July and August, but have remained generally flat since the downturn in late 2006 and early 2007. Although EMS shipments dipped in July and August, the outlook is still positive with ever increasing global demand for consumer electronics.

Trends in computer and electronic products new orders vs sales indices of selected supplier industries

Notes on the graph:
(1)  All indices are based on the same baseline of the average month in 2000=100, and reflect a three-month rolling average.
(2)  Effective with the March 2007 release, the method for calculating the EMS index was revised. This revision displays market trends consistent with the current industry scenario.

Sources:  IPC statistical programs for EMS and PCB data; SIA for semiconductor data; U.S. Census Bureau for U.S. new orders for computer and electronic products.