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ARLINGTON, VA -- Down in January, up in February, down in March, up again last month: electronic component orders continued their 2005 seesaw ride, according to the monthly order index compiled by the Electronic Components, Assemblies & Materials Association (ECA). 

"Anytime you see an uptick such as the one in April, it's a good sign," said Bob Willis, ECA president (ec-central.org). "So far, it's been a positive year, but we are still seeing fluctuations from month to month as a result of manufacturers' uncertainties about where the market is heading."

Overall, the consensus is positive.  At last week's Electronics Distribution Show (EDS) in Las Vegas, Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), and Matt Flanigan, president of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), had encouraging outlooks for their respective industries - two of the biggest markets for electronic components.

Shapiro predicted that the market for consumer electronics would grow by 10.7% this year, reaching $125.7 billion in revenue, with 70% coming from digital products.  Flanigan forecast 9% growth for the U.S. telecommunications market and about 10.8% for the international market this year, with worldwide spending topping $1.5 trillion.