Growth in U.S. manufacturing activity in May slowed to its weakest pace in more than two years as purchasing managers raised concerns about a trade war between the U.S. and China, according to the Institute for Supply Management. The ISM’s monthly factory index, the PMI, registered 52.1 percent in May, a 0.7 percent decrease from…
Editor’s Note: This is the second of two articles examining the impact of tariffs — positive and negative–on the electronics industry. For political pundits, the United States government’s tariff strategy is about political leverage. For electronics OEMs, however, tariffs are about business. “As a United States patron, I look at it through the lens of…
A gauge of U.S. factory activity topped estimates in March, rebounding from a two-year low on strength in employment, new orders and manufacturing production. The Institute for Supply Management’s PMI reached 55.3 percent in March, a 1.1 percent increase from the prior month. Any number above 50 indicates manufacturing expansion. March made up for ground…
The combined DRAM and NAND memory markets experienced a period of extraordinary growth over the past several years, driven by important megatrends including mobility, cloud computing, AI (Artificial Intelligence), and IoT (Internet of Things). Without a doubt, these megatrends have had a significant impact on the semiconductor industry, especially the memory markets. Yole Développement (Yole)…
The Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) has reported that global sales of capacitors, inductors, resistors and other passive components increased by 25.2 percent in calendar 2018. Unit shipments of these devices grew by 16.7 percent to 7.4 trillion. Last year was marked by severe shortages in passive components, particularly certain types of capacitors. Demand is…
PC and server DRAM prices have plummeted by nearly 30 percent so far in the first quarter of 2019, according to DRAMeXchange, a division of TrendForce. This is a deeper plunge than the projected drop of 25 percent expected last month and is the sharpest tumble since 2011. At the same time, most contracts have transitioned…
U.S. manufacturers may be facing a bumpy ride in Q1 as the nation’s factory activity cooled in February. New orders, production and employment all declined from January levels, according to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), and the PMI dropped 2.4 percentage points to 54.2 percent. As long as the PMI remains above 50, the manufacturing industry continues to expand. “We are still in the…
The nation’s manufacturing sector regained some lost ground in January as demand, production and consumption all increased from December, the Institute for Supply Management reported. At the close of 2018, the ISM’s factory index, the PMI, dropped by a precipitous 5.4 percent to 54.3. January’s PMI inched up 2.3 percentage points to 56.6. Any number…
Both DRAM and NAND flash prices are expected to decline in the 10-percent range in the first quarter (Q1) of 2019. DRAMeXchange, a division of TrendForce, forecasts DRAM prices will drop by 10 percent or higher in Q1 while NAND flash prices will fall by nearly 10 percent. This is a steeper slide than last…
U.S. purchasing and supply executives are entering 2019 with a bit less enthusiasm than 2018, although optimism remains strong for the next calendar year. Sixty-four percent of U.S. manufacturers polled by the Institute for Supply Management expect their revenue will grow by 5.7 percent in 2019, compared with the 5.1 percent increase predicted for 2018.…