First Quarter 2018 Silicon Wafer Shipments Increase Quarter-Over-Quarter to Record Level
Milpitas, Calif. — May 14, 2018 — Reaching their highest recorded quarterly level ever, worldwide silicon wafer area shipments jumped to 3,084 million square inches during the first quarter 2018, a 3.6 percent increase over fourth quarter 2017 area shipments of 2,977 million square inches and a 7.9 percent rise over first quarter 2017 shipments, according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

"Global silicon wafer shipment volumes started the year at historic levels,” said Neil Weaver, chairman SEMI SMG and Director, Product Development and Applications Engineering of Shin-Etsu Handotai America. “As a result, silicon shipments, like device shipments, are positioned to be strong this year.”

Silicon wafers are the fundamental building material for semiconductors, which, in turn, are vital components of virtually all electronics goods, including computers, telecommunications products, and consumer electronics. The highly engineered thin round disks are produced in various diameters (from one inch to 12 inches) and serve as the substrate material on which most semiconductor devices or "chips" are fabricated.

All data cited in this release includes polished silicon wafers, including virgin test wafers and epitaxial silicon wafers, as well as non-polished silicon wafers shipped by the wafer manufacturers to end users.

The Silicon Manufacturers Group acts as an independent special interest group within the SEMI structure and is open to SEMI members involved in manufacturing polycrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon or silicon wafers (e.g., as cut, polished, epi, etc.). The purpose of the group is to facilitate collective efforts on issues related to the silicon industry including the development of market information and statistics about the silicon industry and the semiconductor market.
http://www.semi.org/en/first-quarter-2018-silicon-wafer-shipments-increase-quarter-over-quarter-record-level

Two large Chinese ingot and wafer makers have announced bold plans to expand their capacities beyond anything seen to date.

At the end of February, Zhonghuan Semiconductor Chairman and General Manager Shen Haoping braved the bitter cold to personally inspect the installation of new monocrystalline ingot furnaces at the company’s factory in Inner Mongolia, nestled between the Blue Mountains and the Hetao Plateau.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2018/04/14/the-weekend-read-chinas-monocrystalline-boom/

Trump’s trade war conveniently targets Ivanka’s fashion competitors
https://shareblue.com/trump-trade-war-ivanka/

A trade war has not started yet. Today most investors misunderstood that a trade war had started.

The trick is that the US and China did not state when tariffs would be effective, so there is still possibility of discussion about trade tariffs.

Chips are ripping higher and Dow stock Intel could see a bigger breakout
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/09/chips-rip-higher-and-dow-stock-intel-could-see-a-bigger-breakout.html

US semiconductor stocks break out.,

PHLX Semiconductor (^SOX) is up 1,59% now.
https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/%5ESOX/components/

PHLX Semiconductor (^SOX)
https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/%5ESOX/

Semiconductor rally is coming.

Chip stocks are ripping higher, and one market watcher says the semiconductor space could be in for an even bigger rally.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/20/chips-rip-higher-and-market-watchers-eye-intel-as-the-semi-to-own.html

Semiconductor rally is coming.

Volkswagen is looking to expand its market share in the electric vehicle market by looking to Apple for design guidance.

The German car manufacturer has said it will use Apple’s products as a template for designing its new electric vehicles over the next two years. The aim is to adopt a simple design and to turn around VW’s profits in the new expanding market, when the vehicles are launched in 2020, with the most simplicity possible.
https://www.cbronline.com/news/vw-apple-vehicle

North American semi equipment industry posts strong December billings

26 January 2018
North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted US$2.39 billion in billings worldwide in December 2017 (three-month average basis), according to SEMI. The billings figure is 16.3% higher than the revised November 2017 level of US$2.05 billion and 27.7% above the December 2016 billings level of US$1.87 billion.
https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20180126PR200.html

Red-hot chip stocks could see a repeat of 2017 gains

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/22/chipmaker-and-semiconductor-stocks-could-see-a-repeat-of-2017-gains.html