JANUARY 7--Worldwide sales of semiconductors in November rose to $10.60 billion, a month-to-month increase of 1.6% from $10.44 billion in October, making this the second month in a row with sequential growth, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA; San Jose, CA; www.sia-online.org ). "Our forecast released in November calls fourth-quarter sales to be 4.7% higher than the third quarter, and, with two months of data now in, we are on target to meet that projection," stated George Scalise, SIA. president. He went on to say, "Personal computers, wireless communications, consumer products, and automotive continue to fuel semiconductor sales and lead the industry out of its year-long recession."
Compared to October 2001, November sales in the European market increased 5.3%, and the Asian Pacific market grew 2.5%. Sales in the Americas were nearly flat, and Japan was down slightly at 1%.
The SIA Global Sales Report (GSR) is a three-month moving average of sales activity. The GSR is tabulated by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics organization, which represents approximately 66 companies. The moving average is a mathematical smoothing technique that mitigates variations due to companies' monthly financial calendars.
