European semiconductor market positive in October
Increases were reported for a number of major product categories. Discretes, sensors and microprocessors performed well above the worldwide levels. However, the results for NAND flash memories, Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) and DRAMs were an exception to this trend. Sales for application specific semiconductors rose sharply, in particular chips used in automotive, multipurpose/industrial, and computer sectors.
European Semiconductor sales in October 2007 amounted to US$ 3.621 billion according to the WSTS, up 2.5% versus the previous month. This corresponds to a 2.2% growth compared to the same month last year. On a YTD basis semiconductor sales increased by 3.5% versus the same period in the year 2006.
The Euro-US dollar exchange rate continues to impact the data. Measured in Euro, semiconductor sales in October 2007 were € 2.607 billion, up 1.4% on previous month and down 6.3% versus the same month a year ago. On a YTD basis semiconductor sales showed a decline of 4.5% versus the same period in the year 2006. On a worldwide basis, semiconductor sales in October 2007 were US$ 23.072 billion, up 2.1% versus the previous month. This results in an increase of 5.0% versus the same month in 2006 and on a YTD basis it results in a growth rate of 3.9%.
