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Market News

GAITHERSBURG, Md. - Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), and the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced a public-private partnership to support research and innovation in the area of nanoelectronics.

The research is focused on replacing the Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (CMOS FET), because the technology (the backbone of current computing) is considered a limiting factor to next generation computing advancements.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 1908, also known as the Patent Reform Act of 2007, the first step toward bringing the nation's patent laws in line with international statutes.

SAN JOSE – July sales of semiconductors increased 2.2% worldwide year-over-year, growing to $20.6 billion. Sales were up 3.2% from June, the Semiconductor Industry Association reported today.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – Rigid PCB shipments from North American fabricators fell 7.1% and bookings dropped 1.8% year-over-year in July, IPC reported Wednesday.

WASHINGTON – Factories saw orders for big-ticket goods jump 5.9% in July, the most in 10 months, an encouraging sign that many manufacturers are holding up to the stresses caused by a housing slump and a credit crunch, the Commerce Dept. reported today.

The department reported a sizable increase in new orders for "durable" goods followed a 1.9% rise in June. Durable goods are costly manufactured items expected to last at least three years.

The barometer of manufacturing activity was better than the 1% increase economists expected, and gains were widespread, the report stated. Orders went up for machinery, automobiles, metal products, airplanes and communications equipment. That blunted a drop in demand for computers, as well as electrical equipment and appliances, the reported added.

In the manufacturing report, orders for automobiles rose 9.8% in July, the most since January 2003. Demand for primary metals, including steel, increased 7.9%, the biggest rise since July 2004. Orders for communications equipment soared 20.7%, the most since March 2006. Demand for airplanes for commercial use rose 12.6%. Airplane orders for defense purposes increased 15.8%.

Demand for computers, however, dropped 4% and orders for electrical equipment and appliances fell 1.2%.

Overall, the figures suggest that capital spending by businesses is weathering the financial storm so far, said the Commerce Dept. Credit problems, however, worsened in August, so upcoming reports on manufacturing will offer more insight into companies' spending.

SAN JOSE – SEMI today reported worldwide semiconductor manufacturing equipment billings reached $11.1 billion in the second quarter. The figure is up 3% sequentially, and about 15% year-over-year.