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Book-to-Bill ratio recovers to 0.93 in October
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The book-to-bill ratio for North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment recovered from its 2003 equivalent low of 0.70 to reach a preliminary figure of 0.93 for October. Orders came in at $843 million.
The three-month average of worldwide bookings for October 2008 was $843 million, approximately 30 percent higher than the lowered final figures for September.
The three-month average of worldwide billings in October 2008 was $908 million, 2 percent lower than the final September figure of $927 million. This is almost 39 percent lower than the October 2007 billings level which was recorded at $1.48 billion.
“While three month average bookings improved in October, overall bookings and billings for North American equipment manufacturers are at levels comparable to 2003,” said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. “Our industry will have look to the early part of 2009 for clearer signals of market direction."
The marked rise in the book-to-bill ratio for October is not expected to signal a recovery as capital spending revisions from iSuppli and Gartner indicate spending cutbacks in the fourth quarter are higher than previously projected. 2009 capital spending is also expected to decline from 2008 lowered levels.
