ECST show 2025 off to an encouraging start
With a score that broke solidly above the 100-point threshold in January for the overall component average the year got off to an encouraging start, ECIA’s Electronic Component Sales Trend (ECST) survey shows.
While the actual score of 108.5 was 6.7 points lower than the forecast from the December survey, it is still a very strong result to start the year.
The index score for Semiconductors was very close to the forecast, while the actual score for Electro-Mechanical components was substantially lower than the December outlook. The January result for Passive components was modestly lower than expected. Once again, the survey respondents provided a robust forecast for the coming month, with an overall projection of 120 for February. Less than five points separate the highest and lowest scores for the February projection with Semiconductors projected at 121.9 and Passive components coming in at 117.1 next month.
Distributors reported the most optimistic scores for Passive and Electro-Mechanical components while Manufacturers and Manufacturer Representatives were the most positive in their views of the Semiconductor market.
The overall view across the three groups of survey respondents was relatively similar for January and February. Among the component subcategories, only Discrete and Analog ICs failed to achieve an average score above 100 in the January actuals.
There appears to be solid momentum across all subcategories, with every category solidly above 100 in the February forecast. Analog ICs see the lowest score at 106.9, while Capacitors come in at the top with a score of 122.9.
“Once again, the survey respondents provided a robust forecast for the coming month with an overall projection of 120 for February,” says ECIA Chief Analyst Dale Ford, in a press release. “Given that the ECST scores reflect month-to-month trends it would be great to have two consecutive months with solid improvements in sales sentiment to start 2025. There were many positive indicators for long-term market health at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES.) Artificial Intelligence dominated every area of the show. Hopefully, the huge investments planned for AI are a leading indicator of new products that will stimulate another wave of growth for electronics in every sector.”
