Orders for US semiconductor equipment decline in July

The U.S.-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers saw their orders slip in July from the previous month, data showed Monday. Their average book-to-bill ratio reached 1.00 last month, meaning that US$100 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month, according to the data by industry association SEMI. The comparable figure for June was 1.10. A figure that exceeds 1 signifies a growth in industry circumstances. Their orders totaled $1.27 billion in July on a three-month average basis, dropping 4.6 percent from the previous month. But the July figure improved from $1.23 billion a year earlier, the data showed. The three-month average shipment reached $1.27 billion last month, up 4.6 percent from the previous month, the data showed.