| Gartner: Watch Q2 to Predict Annual Semi Sales |
 |
 |
 |
| Monday, 07 April 2008 12:04 | |||
|
STAMFORD, CT – Gartner Inc. forecasts a 7% sequential decline for first-quarter semiconductor sales, and says growth prospects for 2008 will hinge largely on the second quarter. This year’s fate for the semiconductor market was not determined by the first quarter, according to Gartner. Using WSTS figures for February showing semiconductor sales at $18.7 billion, down 2% sequentially, but up 4% year-over-year, the market research firm determined its forecast. The $18.7 billion in sales was about $1 billion lower than Gartner’s expectations. The company now expects first-quarter semiconductor sales to total approximately $62 billion, compared with WSTS reported sales of approximately $67 billion in the fourth quarter last year. “Unless sales were much weaker than expected in March, the seasonal decline in sales in early 2008 is likely to be within the normal range and should not be a cause for major alarm (despite worries about the weakening US economy and its potential impact on global macroeconomic conditions),” Gartner analyst Richard Gordon said. The impact of the troubled economy cannot be ignored, however. iSuppli Corp. reported it slashed its 2008 NAND growth forecast by two-thirds in large part because softening consumer spending has encouraged NAND buyers like Apple to cut back purchasing. “If quarterly sales decline in the second quarter, even if we see some strength in the market in the second half of the year, annual sales in 2008 will still struggle to exceed the level of 2007,” Gordon said. “We believe that flat-or-better Q2 sales will confirm the global semiconductor industry has managed to avoid a sharp slowdown and place the market on a growth track through the second half of 2008 and into 2009.” Gordon wrote Gartner reduced its forecast for total semiconductor market growth in 2008 to 3.4%, compared with 6.2% in the fourth quarter, on a more-cautious demand-side outlook.
|
|||
| Last Updated on Monday, 07 April 2008 12:06 |
Columns
| Semblant Warms to New Fluoropolymer Conformal Coating |
|
Months after hinting at a new conformal coating during a paper session at SMTA International, Semblant has officially launched PlasmaShield. CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY editor in chief Mike Buetow spoke with vice president of worldwide sales and marketing Steve McClure last week. |
| Read more... |
| ECTC in Las Vegas |
What happens in Las Vegas at ECTC, doesn’t stay in Las Vegas, it is shared here. This year’s ECTC, or electronics components technology conference, was held in Las Vegas’ Cosmopolitan, May 28-31. |
| Read more... |
Features
| The Impact of Reel Splicing Kits on Setup and Changeover |
Traditional feeder setup using tape-and-reel can drain time. There’s a quick and better way. |
| Read more... |
| Standard Solar Cells vs. Next-Gen Cells: Which is Winning? |
Overcapacity is stalling the rate of improvement, but only for so long. |
| Read more... |
Search
Search
Login
CB Login
Language
Language
Products
Viscom Announces SI 7.46 AOI Software Release
Software release SI 7.46 reduces AOI inspection times through improved optimization of travel paths. Integrates Library Manager to assign new inspection patterns more quickly and easily, easing use...
Software release SI 7.46 reduces AOI inspection times through improved optimization of travel paths. Integrates Library Manager to assign new inspection patterns more quickly and easily, easing use...
