Preamble
The Semi Equipment sector gave the signal in January 2013 that manufacturing was likely to sure up and then, the economy and employment. Hence, it makes sense to continue watching the Semi’s for clues about the economy going forward.
SEMI has released the Semiconductor equipment sector’s book-to-bill ratio (b2b) for February and it continues to be stable. The implication is that the industry as a whole is still upgrading and building new Fabs to serve the worldwide chip demand for smaller and more powerful gadgets, gizmos and communications tools. To briefly review, the b2b was decelerating through October (coincidentally or not with the mini … Continue reading SEMI Book to Bill for February
Just one small segment of conventional analysis NFTRH 331 found itself doing… Semiconductor Sector Folks, it is b2b (book-to-bill) time again and the reading for January came in at 1.03, which represents growth from the December reading. But the b2b bears discussion. Last month we noted that the lower number (.99) was really not bad because it was the product of ramped up billings, while … Continue reading Semiconductor b2b
Excerpted from this week’s Notes From the Rabbit Hole (NFTRH 327), a 35 page report covering economic data and indicators, US and global stock markets, commodities and clear technical and macro fundamental parameters on gold, silver and the miners… Canary’s Alive & Well This week we will cover the ECB QE action, Euro, USD and their implications for global trade. We’ll also update a still-intact … Continue reading Canary’s Alive & Well
NFTRH 322 covered the usual range of markets, from US to global stocks to precious metals and commodities to currencies and indicators. It also included an extended economic discussion about the realities of the strong US economy and its dangerous underpinnings. The economic segment began with this look at the Semiconductor Equipment sector, which was our first indicator on economic strength exactly 2 years ago … Continue reading Semiconductor Equipment Sector Update
Semiconductor Equipment Book-to-Bill The Semiconductor Equipment book-to-bill ratio for November is out and it improved per the table below. I will work the data into a graph similar to the one we reviewed after the October data were released, and include it in NFTRH 322. Here is the source report for the B2B from SEMI. To review for newer subscribers, the B2B is a forward … Continue reading NFTRH; Semi Sector & Stock Market
I did not make the point clear in the previous post but as NFTRH subscribers may recall, it is the Semi Equipment companies (they that supply the chip makers with Fab equipment) that are the Canaries in the Coal Mine’s Canary. In other words, they are the early mover (front end industry) to a new Semiconductor cycle, whereas the chip makers are the back end. … Continue reading Regarding the Semi’s
Excerpted from the November 23 edition of Notes From the Rabbit Hole, NFTRH 318: Semiconductor Equipment Book-to-Bill Ratio Moderating Since we were the only ones (so far as I could see) even talking about the Semiconductor equipment industry ramp up (and positive implications on US manufacturing) back in early 2013 I think we should continue to tend the sector and finish what we started. Last … Continue reading Semi Equipment Book-to-Bill Ratio Moderating
