SAN JOSE – North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $939.4 million in orders in October (three-month average basis), down 41.1% year-over-year and up 1.4% sequentially, says SEMI.

The book-to-bill ratio was 0.74.

A book-to-bill of 0.74 means that $74 worth of orders was received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in October was $1.27 billion, down 22% year-over-year and down 3.6% sequentially.

“The recent period’s billings and bookings reflect the slowing capital investment in the industry that has been evident throughout the year,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI. “While overall spending has declined, investments in NAND Flash, sub-30nm technology, and system LSI are ongoing.”