SAN JOSE – North American semiconductor equipment manufacturers posted $756.2 million in orders in October and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.10, says SEMI.

A book-to-bill of 1.10 means $110 worth of orders was received for every $100 of product billed for the month. A ratio over 1.0 is considered an indicator of future growth.
 
The three-month average of worldwide orders was down slightly compared to September’s $758.9 million, and down 9.9% year-over-year.
 
The three-month average of worldwide billings was $689.8 million, up 6.4% sequentially, but down 21% compared to the same period last year.
 
"The SEMI book-to-bill number has been above 1.0 for four months now, reflecting small and generally steady increases, as the semiconductor industry continues a slow recovery," said Stanley Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. "Bookings have flattened, and we will continue to watch this number. SEMI maintains our forecast of a slowly improving capital spending outlook for the remainder of 2009 and into next year."