Some Semiconductor Semi-Good News
A variety of analyst sources are reporting that semiconductors may be on a bit of a rebound. Clearly it's too early to make any broad definitive statement, but on the plus side, indicators are up a bit in a variety of industry segments. Here are some of the data points:
- The Semiconductor Industry Association says that global semiconductor sales were up 17 percent between the first and second quarters of 2009, though not all is jolly -- Q2 sales were still down by 20 percent than they were during the same period in 2008. The organization also said that analysts following the semiconductor market are becoming more optimistic in their projections.
- IC Insights says that the top 20 semiconductor producers saw a 21 percent increase in sales from Q1 to Q2. The firm thinks that the first quarter represented the bottom of the semiconductor market, with Q2 up because of inventory replenishment. IC Insights expects another bump in Q3 in response to normal seasonal increase, with Q4 and beyond more closely mirroring the global economy and electronics market.
- DRAM, which has seen a considerable struggle not just because of the economy but an inventory glut, is doing better. According to DRAMeXchange, production cuts and OEM inventory replenishment resulted in a 23 percent increase in contract prices during Q2. Spot prices grew by about 27 percent. DRAM revenue, clearly helped by the pricing increases, grew by 27.8 percent.
- DRAM scarcity and price increases are driving average global pricing for commodity electronic components by 2.3 percent, according to iSuppli, which expects those prices to begin declining again in the fourth quarter of 2009.
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