Continuing industry growth and a rebounding Asia Pacific market are indicated by the latest monthly sales figures from the Semiconductor Industry Association. Computer chip sales in March rose 6.7% from March 1998 totals. We expect worldwide chip sales for 1999 to be in line with our forecasted recovery, said SIA president George Scalise.
Increases were shown in all markets compared to the previous year. European sales rose 3.2%, US sales 4.8%, Japan 8.1%, and Asia Pacific 11.8%. Month-on-month, the growth was just 2.4%, compared to a slight drop in sales between January and February, attributed to seasonal weakness. Sequentially, Europe saw a 1.4% rise from the previous month, the US 1.6%, Asia Pacific 2.1% and Japan 5%. Total sales for the month were $11.15bn.
The recovery is a fragile one, however. Comparing average sales for January to March against October to December last year, sales declined 1.4%, with only markets in Japan showing any growth over the period.
