ATLANTA — Continuing a decline that started in May, the ECIA Electronic Component Sales Trend index dropped again as it fell from 86 in August to 82.3 in the September measurement, but the results varied widely by product segment, the trade group said.
Electromechanical components saw a steep decline as it fell 16.7 points in September while the Semiconductor index improved 7.2 points. Passive components were fairly stable with a dip of 1.7 points. Measurements below the benchmark level of 100 indicate negative sales growth sentiment.
“The October outlook provides some hope in the near-term as the overall index is expected to rebound by 5.7 points,” added Dale Ford, chief analyst, ECIA. “This is driven by strong rebounds projected for Electro-Mechanical and Passive Components of 10+ points. Semiconductors are expected to lose half of their September gains and fall by 3.6 points in October. While encouraging, the October index still reaches only 88, which leaves it solidly in the category of declining market growth.”