ATLANTA – The results from ECIA’s January electronic component sales sentiment survey, while not as strong as anticipated, point to a solid start to the new year, with the overall sales sentiment index registering 116.5 for January, slightly up from the prior month’s results, says ECIA.

All major component categories and subcategories achieved a sentiment index rating of 100 or higher, with discrete semiconductors and electromechanical components leading the pack with index scores above 122.

In an encouraging sign of stability, the overall index outlook for February sales is just slightly lower at 113.1. In a typical year, February sales are softer than the January results. This return to a “normal” pattern would be a welcome result after the wide swings experienced by the industry over the past two years, ECIA says. As expected, the end-market index follows closely with the component index, with the overall average measured at 114.8 for January, dipping slightly to 109.9 in the February expectations.

“Semiconductor sales sentiment continues to show the greatest optimism among the three major component categories, with the index measuring at 122.2 in January and sustaining a strong level at 120.9 in the February expectations,” said ECIA chief analyst Dale Ford, author of the report. “All three of the component indices project a drop between January and February, with passive components coming in at the bottom end with a still respectable 107.6 in January and 105.9 for the February projection.”