Book-to-Bill ratio December 2008; Source: ZVEI [Click picture to enlarge]

According to the german ZVEI-Association of Electronic Components and Systems for the end of 2008, the position and perspectives for the German semiconductor market has become more cloudy. Sales of semiconductors in Germany in December 2008 on a Dollar basis were 19 percent below that of the previous month. Compared to the corresponding month of the previous year, the sales in December 2008 on a Dollar basis sank by 34 percent. Cumulated over 2008, the sales on a Dollar basis in Germany shrank by 12 percent compared to 2007. On a Europe-wide basis the cumulated sales in 2008 was 18% below the value of the previous year.