ATLANTA – Electronic component sales softened in both the assessment of March sales growth and April sales expectations, according to ECIA’s latest survey.

Actual overall sales sentiment for March fell nearly 16 points from the February measure, coming in at 113.6. The declining trend in expectations continued in the April outlook, as the index fell another 7.1 points to 106.5.

“While still reflecting expectations for positive market growth, these are measurements that are in the same weaker range as the index reports for September through January,” said ECIA chief analyst Dale Ford, author of the report. “It appears the February reading was only a temporary surge in optimism. The good news is the index is still positive – but just barely. Hopefully, the electronic component markets can overcome the headwinds they are facing and continue to exhibit resilience and relative stability in an unstable environment.”

Sentiment across all major component categories moved in the same direction and by a similar magnitude in March. The electro-mechanical components index dropped a point in April compared to much stronger drops in the other categories. As a result, the electro-mechanical index outlook for April came in strongest at over 111. Passive components came in at the lowest of the categories in April at slightly above 102.

The decline in the index was seen in every subcategory for both March and April. The overall end-market index moved in the same general direction as the component index for March and April. However, there were significant differences in strength among individual market segments.