SAN JOSE – North American-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted a 90-day average of $1.23 billion in orders in February, up 8% from the revised January figure and down 12% year-over-year.
The book-to-bill ratio climbed for the fifth straight month, reaching
0.93, meaning that $93 worth of orders were received for every $100 of
product billed for the month.
A ratio above 1.0 is considered an indicator of an expanding market.
The data were announced by
SEMI today.
The three-month average of worldwide billings in February was $1.32 billion, up 3% from January and 8% from 2007.
In a statement, Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI, said,
“Though current inventory and utilization rates are at healthy levels,
device manufacturers are being conservative in their capex spending."