Japan May Chipmaking Gear Orders Fall for 14th Straight Month

Orders in Japan in May for chipmaking equipment manufactured by Japanese and foreign makers fell 18.7 pct from a year before to 78.2 billion yen, down for the 14th consecutive month, an industry group said Wednesday.

Orders for water-processing equipment including steppers dropped 14.9 pct to 61.7 billion yen, and those for testing equipment plunged 46.9 pct to 5.8 billion yen, the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan said.

The chipmaking equipment market shows no signs of recovery as chipmakers are cutting back their capital spending amid falling product prices, an official of the association said.