December`s semiconductor equipment book-to-bill

Steady increase in ratios for both equipment and ICs in the fourth quarter of 2002 indicate that business conditions are slowly improvingWorldwide equipment book-to-bill (B:B) ratio reached 1.00† in December 2002 according to the January 15th edition of the Industry Pulse Pro® from VLSI Research Inc. Worldwide bookings amounted to $2503M, while billings were at $2496M. Of the total billings in December, $1428M were for wafer processing equipment, $566M for test and related equipment, $137M for assembly, and $365M for service and spares. The B:B ratio has been steadily climbing since September 2002 but remains below the peak of 1.31 in April. The B:B ratio is expected to hit 1.09 in January. For ICs, the rolling three-month average of the B:B ratio rose to 1.06 in December. Worldwide bookings were at $11.25B and billings were at $10.63B. The IC B:B ratio is expected to increase to 1.15 in January, when bookings are forecasted at $11.86B and billings are at $10.33B. Source: PCBnewsline