SEMI data indicates fluctuating book-to-bill ratio
The book-to-bill ratio for semiconductor equipment spending increased from 1.02 in December 2013 to 1.04 in January 2014 but this was still down compared to the ratio of 1.14 for January 2013
A book-to-bill of 1.04 means that $104 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.
The three-month average of worldwide bookings in January 2014 was $1.28 billion. The bookings figure is 7.2 percent lower than the final December 2013 level of $1.38 billion, and is 19.1 percent higher than the January 2013 order level of $1.08 billion.
The three-month average of worldwide billings in January 2014 was $1.24 billion. The billings figure is 8.3 percent lower than the final December 2013 level of $1.35 billion, and is 27.9 percent higher than the January 2013 billings level of $968.0 million.
"Both bookings and billings are at values higher than reported one year ago and are good indications of growth in the 2014 equipment market," says Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI. "Device makers are investing in 20nm technology and advanced device structures, while leading packaging houses focus their investments on flip chip, wafer-level, and 3-D packaging."
The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings and bookings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.