TECHNOLOGY - Nov. 10, 1994

Computer Chip Orders Fall: The chip industry’s book-to-bill ratio was 0.97% for October, down from 1.02% in September, the first drop in almost a year, the Semiconductor Industry Assn. said. That means semiconductor chip manufacturers got just 97 cents in new orders for every $1 of chips they shipped or billed during the month. “The October book-to-bill ratio of 0.97 breaks a 10-month positive streak that stretched back to November, 1993, in the monthly tabulation of the North American semiconductor market,” the association said. Using data collected by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics organization, the SIA said October orders were $2.91 billion, based on a three-month moving average. That is down from $2.97 billion in September. But orders were still 33% higher than a year ago.