Get ready for a whole lot of
surprisesin the
semiconductor industry.
As we head into the last
earnings seasonof 2009, the Semiconductor Industry
Association (SIA) reports surprisingly strong chip sales
everywhere you look. Pegged at $19.1 billion, third-quarter
sales should come in about 5% above the second quarter's
total of $18.2 billion. That's a 16% decline from 2008
levels, which may not sound strong on the surface, but
considering that the first six months of this year brought
25% year-over-year sales declines, it's a marked improvement
for the industry.
The report doesn't break out individual companies from the
data, but it does show strong sales across all geographies
and most end-market sectors. The "
cash for clunkers" program and other incentive plans
boosted sales to the automotive sector, while consumer demand
for
personal computersand
fancy gadgetspicked up over the summer. The recovery
looks slower in Europe and faster in Japan and Asia, but it's
brisk business across the globe.
Here's how the 16% annual sales drop compares to analyst
projections for a few major industry players in upcoming
quarters:
Expected Year-Over-Year Sales Drop
Beating or Lagging the Industry
Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN)
(17.0%)
(1.0%)
Intel (Nasdaq: INTC)
(11.8%)
4.2%
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE:
AMD)
(29.4%)
(13.4%)
NVIDIA (Nasdaq: NVDA)
(7.5%)
8.5%
Qualcomm (Nasdaq: QCOM)
(18.6%) Continued... |