WASHINGTON — Worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $26.1 billion in March, an increase of 0.3% sequentially.

First quarter sales were $78.3 billion, down 5.5% compared to the previous quarter and 5.8% from 2015, the Semiconductor Industry Association added.

All monthly sales numbers are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average.

“Global semiconductor sales increased in March for the first time in five months, but soft demand, market cyclicality, and macroeconomic conditions continue to impede more robust growth,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “First quarter sales lagged behind last quarter across nearly all regional markets, with the Americas showing the sharpest decline.”

Regionally, month-to-month sales increased in Japan (4.8%), Asia Pacific/All Other (2.3%), and Europe (0.1%), but fell in China (-1.1%) and the Americas (-2.8%). Compared to the same month last year, sales in March increased in Japan (1.8%) and China (1.3%), but decreased in Asia Pacific/All Other (-6.4%), Europe (-9.8%), and the Americas (-15.8%).

SIA used the monthly report of the industry sales data to announce its support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership pending in Congress.

“Eighty-three percent of US semiconductor industry sales are into markets outside the US, so access to overseas markets is imperative to the long-term strength of our industry,” Neuffer said. “The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a landmark trade agreement that would tear down myriad barriers to trade with countries in the Asia-Pacific. The TPP is good for the semiconductor industry, the tech sector, the American economy, and the global economy. Congress should approve it.”

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