Global Chip Equipment Sales Rise 48 Percent

[La_Serpiente]

Global Chip Equipment Sales Rise 48 Percent

TOKYO (Reuters) - Global sales of chip-making equipment rose 48.8 percent in December from the previous month to $2.59 billion, an industry group said on Monday, citing strong spending by Japanese, South Korean and Taiwanese chip makers.

The December figure was up 38.7 percent from a year earlier, marking the fifth straight month of year-on-year rises, Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) said in a preliminary release.

The volatile data is largely seasonal, but the December figure was the biggest since April 2001, when the industry racked up $2.87 billion in sales as the IT bubble was drawing to a close.

Global sales of chip-making equipment totaled $22.1 billion in calendar 2003, up 11.9 percent from the previous year.

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Global Chip Equipment Sales Rise 48 Percent

[aquart]

1. Any of it made here?

[rapier]

2. notes

You better believe it. Applied Materials Inc. AMAT is the US and probably world leader and in some ways is the most important stock in the world. AMAT is the bellweather for the entire chip/technology sector and by extension the entire speculative NASDAQ.

NASDAQ can't do squat without AMAT. Their most recent earnings blabber was not so good. Which calls into question this claim about chip equipment. One must know that touting of this kind of thing is the lifeblood of the market.

3. Signs of a bubble

Note that the semi equip stocks are all sky-high like 2000/2001.

Note that they say the orders number is huge just like during the 2000/2001 bubble.

Light goes on?