WASHINGTON — The 90-day moving average worldwide semiconductor sales reached $26.86 billion in May, up 8.8% from last year, the Semiconductor Industry Association said. 

May sales were up 2% over the previous month, the trade group added.

Sales in the Americas increased 10.6% year-over-year in May, marking the region’s twelfth consecutive month of double-digit growth. 

“The global semiconductor market posted healthy growth throughout all regions in May, led by continued strength in the Americas,” said Brian Toohey, president and CEO, SAI. "Year-over-year sales increased across nearly all semiconductor product categories, with DRAM and analog products leading the way. Overall, the global market has posted growth each month for over a year, and sales are expected to increase for the foreseeable future.”

Year-over-year and month-over-month sales increased across all regions for the first time since August 2010. Sequential monthly sales were up 2.1% in Asia Pacific, 2.1% in Europe, 1.8% in the Americas, and 1.6% in Japan. Compared to May 2013, sales increased in the Americas (10.6%), Europe (10.1%), Asia Pacific (8.6%), and Japan (5.3%). Japan posted three straight months of year-to-year growth for the first time in nearly two years.