BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American PWB shipments in September were up 21.8% sequentially, while orders increased 31%.

TOKYO – August printed wiring board shipments in Japan fell 7.5% sequentially to 54.6 billion yen, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said.

DUBLIN – Global electronics equipment production will swing from a record 9.5% contraction in 2009 to a 6.5% gain in 2010, says Research and Markets.
 
2010 will be a lead-in to an even more robust 10.5% expansion in 2011, the research firm predicts.
 
The ongoing industry recovery will gather considerable momentum during the next two years, according to the firm.
 
In the near-term, double-digit unemployment rates and the need to rebuild ravaged nest eggs will undercut consumer purchases of cars and electronic products, the firm predicts. And profit-challenged corporations awash in excess operating capacity will be in no hurry to invest in new IT hardware. Moreover, because banks will be focused on rebuilding their own depleted capital bases, they will retain restrictive lending policies well into next year.  

ARLINGTON, VA – Consumer confidence in the overall economy improved, while confidence in technology and consumer electronics fell slightly in October, according to the Consumer Electronics Association and CNET.

The CEA-CNET Index of Consumer Expectations climbed five points to 174.1 in October.

The ICE, which measures consumer expectations about the broader economy, is up 10.4 points from this time last year, and has climbed in three of the last six months.

“Consumers were met with positive news regarding economic recovery this month,” said Anne Claudio, vice president of research at CBS Interactive. “The stock market rallied to levels not reached in years, while optimism is being expressed by economic leaders that the end of the recession is near.”

The CEA-CNET Index of Consumer Technology Expectations declined four points this month. The ICTE, which measures expectations for buying CE and spending more on CE products and services, is up 3.1 points year-over-year.