European semiconductor sales - up 1.2% in October

In October, total semiconductor sales moved to USD 2.904 billion from the USD 2.871 billion recorded in September. This outcome is in line with seasonal patterns. Similar developments were observed across the other regions, as the market heads for the close of the year. Worldwide semiconductor sales in October 2015 were USD 28.955 billion, up 1.9% versus the previous month. All growth figures represent a three-month rolling average. Looking at European sales by product category, the vast majority of traditional drivers showed robust growth in October. Strong demand for microprocessors (up 2.5%), sensors (up 1.1%), and analog devices (up 1.5%) was paired with an equally positive development in the microcontroller (up 1.1% from September). Global sales of semiconductor devices designed to be used in specific applications also grew strongly in October. Sales of application-specific devices increased by 2.1% from the previous month, as the wireless communication market returned to growth, and the computer semiconductor market confirmed the good performance of the past months. In October, the exchange rate had minor effects when comparing growth rates in Euros and in Dollars. Measured in Euro, semiconductor sales were EUR 2.594 billion in October 2015, up 0.6% versus the previous month and an increase of 4.8% versus the same month a year ago.