The US Semiconductor Industry Association’s chip book-to-bill ratio stormed back into the black for December to hit 1.05, and the November figure was revised upwards to 1.00. North American December orders for the three months to December rose 2.9% to $3,210m compared with the November figure, and were up 38.9% on the figure for December 1993. December shipments on the same three-month moving average, fell 2% to $3,060m compared with the November figure, but rose 38.3% from December 1993. For the 1994 year, the North American market increased in size by 34.7% to reach $33,300m. The statistics are supplied to the San Jose Association by the World Semiconductor Trade Association. The 1.05 figure was at the top end of the range of analysts’ forecast s, leading commentators to talk enthusiastically of a runaway boom in chip demand.
