Worldwide highlights

09/01/1998

Worldwide highlights

SIA chip sales figure down in May. After several months of marginal declines, worldwide chip sales saw a sharper drop of nearly 4% month-to-month in May, with sales for the month dipping to the $10 billion level for the first time in a year and a half. All world regions saw sales decline, with the Americas shrinking 4.6% from April levels (see table). On a year-to-year basis, sales ran 12.7% below May 1997`s $11.46 billion, with Americas sales down 17.9%, and Japan sales down 19.3%. Europe has seen the least decline at 2.5%. The figures reinforce a general perception of weakness in the semiconductor market. This is the sixth consecutive month of declining sales.