According to the November Book-to-Bill Report published by SEMI, bookings strengthened slightly from reaching a low in September and October. The three-month average of worldwide bookings in November 2011 was US$973.3 million, up 5% over the final October level of US$926.8 million but 35.7% below bookings of US$1.51 billion posted in November 2010.
The November 2011 (three-month average basis) book-to-bill ratio was 0.83, up from 0.74 in the prior month. The last time the book-to-bill ratio was bottomed was in May 2009.
“We see improvement in the book-to-bill ratio due to a slight increase in bookings as we approach the end of 2011,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI. “The industry waits for definitive signs of stability in the worldwide economy, which will improve end market demand and help solidify investment plans for 2012.”
SEMI reported that the three-month average of worldwide billings in November 2011 was US$1.17 billion. The billings figure is 6.7% less than the final October 2011 level of US$1.26 billion, and is 25.1% less than the November 2010 billings level of US$1.57 billion.