One Oh 0ne was the cry among analysts asked what the US semiconductor book-to-bill ratio for August was likely to be, so a ratio of 1.04 comes as an encouraging surprise, although it is down from 1.06 in July – that figure was also reported at 1.04 but has been revised upwards. The Semiconductor Industry Association in San Jose, which publishes the lead indicator for the whole electronics sector, says that North American monthly market orders in August, based on the usual three-month running average, fell to $2,830m from $2,850m in July, but shipments for August rose by 1.4%, to $2,720m.
