UMS Holdings

[efreet]

For a stock like UMS, I would just invest n leave it there to collect dividends. There is no other listed semiconductor co in sgx that has performed as consistently n giving dividends like UMS. No doubt there may be ups and downs in semiconductor industry that may adversely affect the results of UMS, but on a whole, I think UMS still has been coping well. If one cannot stomach such fluctuations, then don't invest in a semiconductor stock at all.

[Boon]

TSMC May revenues increase 15%

Jessie Shen, DIGITIMES, Taipei [Wednesday 10 June 2015]

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20150610VL200.html
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Intel could also be TSMC customer, says Chang

Josephine Lien, Taipei; Jessie Shen, DIGITIMES [Tuesday 9 June 2015]

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20150609PD213.html
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Moore's Law extended again?

June 09, 2015 // R. Colin Johnson

http://www.electronics-eetimes.com/en/mo...209&page=0
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SEMI Reports First Quarter 2015 Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Figures; Billings US$9.52 Billion

http://www.semi.org/en/node/56421?id=highlights

[Boon]

IC Manufacturers Close or Repurpose 83 Wafer Fabs from 2009-2014
150mm and 200mm wafer fabs account for two-thirds of total closures.
JUNE 16, 2015
IC Insights
http://www.icinsights.com/data/articles/...ts/796.pdf
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Semiconductor R&D Crisis?
Rising costs and a consolidating industry are forcing companies to rethink where to place their dollars; Europe and Asia step up investments.
JUNE 11TH, 2015 - BY: MARK LAPEDUS
http://semiengineering.com/semiconductor-rd-crisis/

[Boon]

North American Semiconductor Equipment Industry Posts May 2015 Book-to-Bill Ratio of 0.99

SAN JOSE, Calif. — June 18, 2015 — North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.56 billion in orders worldwide in May 2015 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.99, according to the May EMDS Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI. A book-to-bill of 0.99 means that $99 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

SEMI reports that the three-month average of worldwide bookings in May 2015 was $1.56 billion. The bookings figure is 0.8 percent lower than the final April 2015 level of $1.57 billion, and is 11.0 percent higher than the May 2014 order level of $1.41 billion.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in May 2015 was $1.57 billion. The billings figure is 3.7 percent higher than the final April 2015 level of $1.51 billion, and is 11.6 percent higher than the May 2014 billings level of $1.41 billion.

“The May book-to-bill ratio slipped below parity as billings improved and bookings dipped slightly from April’s values,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI. “Compared to one year ago, both bookings and billings continue to trend at higher levels.”..................................

http://www.semi.org/en/node/56541?id=highlights

[Boon]

IHS Says Moore’s Law Lead To Trillions Of Dollars Added To The Economy »

Monday 22nd June 2015

http://www.siliconsemiconductor.net/arti...conomy.php
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Is EUV Making Progress?

Instead of focusing just on the light source, researchers are now pushing for breakthroughs in the photoresist. But other problems remain.

JUNE 18TH, 2015 - BY: ANN STEFFORA MUTSCHLER

http://semiengineering.com/is-euv-making-progress/

[Boon]

Smartphone Sales Remain an Important IC Market Driver in 2015
Smartphones forecast to represent 80% of total cellphone shipments in 4Q15.

01 July 2015, by IC Insights

http://www.icinsights.com/data/articles/...ts/800.pdf
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The Future Of Moore’s Law

Experts at the table, part 1: Time between nodes is growing longer and the cost of getting there is rising. Is it time to rethink what we’re measuring or to rev up innovation?

JUNE 29TH, 2015 - BY: ED SPERLING

http://semiengineering.com/the-future-of-moores-law/

[Boon]

Global Semiconductor Sales Increase Five Percent in May

GLOBAL INDUSTRY POSTS 25TH CONSECUTIVE MONTH OF YEAR-TO-YEAR SALES INCREASES IN MAY; SALES IN AMERICAS INCREASE 11.4 PERCENT YEAR-TO-YEAR TO LEAD ALL REGIONS

Published Monday, July 6, 2015 8:00 am

by Dan Rosso

WASHINGTON—July 6, 2015—The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and design, today announced worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $28.2 billion for the month of May 2015, an increase of 5.1 percent from May 2014 when sales were $26.8 billion. Global sales from May 2015 were 2.1 percent higher than the April 2015 total of $27.6 billion. Regionally, sales in the Americas increased 11.4 percent compared to last May to lead all regional markets. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average.

“The global semiconductor industry overcame lingering macroeconomic uncertainty to post solid year-to-year growth in May,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “Year-to-year sales have now increased for 25 straight months, month-to-month sales increased for the first time in six months, and we expect modest growth to continue for the remainder of 2015 and beyond.”

In addition to the Americas market, year-to-year sales also increased in China (9.5 percent) and Asia Pacific/All Other (8.0 percent), but decreased in Europe (-7.8 percent) and Japan (-11.8 percent). Compared to last month, sales were up in China (4.0 percent), Asia Pacific/All Other (3.3 percent), and the Americas (0.2 percent), but decreased slightly in Europe (-0.6 percent) and held flat in Japan.

“Congress and the President recently gave the U.S. semiconductor industry and other trade-dependent sectors a major boost by enacting Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which makes it easier for the United States to strike deals on free trade agreements,” said Neuffer. “With TPA, the United States is more likely to get the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and other critical trade agreements across the finish line, leading to continued growth and innovation in our industry and across the U.S. economy.”

http://www.semiconductors.org/news/2015/...nt_in_may/

May 2015 chart and graph
http://www.semiconductors.org/clientuplo...elease.pdf

[Boon]

TSMC overtakes Intel in chip capex ranking
July 06, 2015 // Peter Clarke
http://www.electronics-eetimes.com/en/ts...5320&vID=8#
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The Big Picture: More than 850 Volume Fabs in 2017
By Christian Dieseldorff and Lara Chamness, SEMIhttp://www.semi.org/en/node/56726?id=semiblog
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Tackling advanced litho challenges on the path to node 5
By Debra Vogler, SEMI
http://electroiq.com/blog/2015/07/tackli...to-node-5/

(vested)

[Boon]

STAMFORD, Conn., July 9, 2015

Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments Declined 9.5 Percent in Second Quarter of 2015

PC Industry Faces Slowdown as Industry Anticipates the Launch of Window
http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3090817
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STAMFORD, Conn., July 8, 2015

Gartner Says Worldwide Semiconductor Sales Expected to Reach $348 Billion in 2015, a 2.2 Percent Increase From 2014

Softness in Key Electronic Equipment Segments, Including PCs and Smartphones, Slowing Growth

http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3089917
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Egham, UK, July 6, 2015

Gartner Says Worldwide Device Shipments to Grow 1.5 Percent, to Reach 2.5 Billion Units in 2015

http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3088221

[Boon]

Researchers produce industry's first 7nm node test chips
July 9, 2015
http://phys.org/news/2015-07-industry-7n...chips.html
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TSMC reports decreased June revenues
Jessie Shen, DIGITIMES, Taipei [Friday 10 July 2015]
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20150710PR203.html