ECIA’s Electronic Component Sales Trend Sentiment (ECST) survey participants in March 2024 confirm ongoing market optimism among the NA survey participants.
Optimism reigns among participants in the electronic components supply chain as positive overall sentiment accelerates in the March ECST results and April outlook. As forecast, all three major segments reached at least 100 in the sentiment index as the Semiconductor score recovered back to 100 and Passive components sustained a score of 102.1.
Leading the parade is Electro-Mechanical components with an index score of 118.6 in March. That is just the beginning of the good news as all three segments are projected to see a dramatic jump of between 14.7 and 17.9 in the April sales sentiment index. The scores for the major segments are expected to register between 117.8 and 133.3 in April.
This would drive an overall average of 123.7 in April, the highest score since February 2022. While the typical pattern is for the actual results to fall short of projected results, the March overall average of 106.9 is within 3 points of the March forecast of 109.8. The key takeaway from the latest ECST survey is that
positive overall sales sentiment has been sustained for a second month and survey participants are enthusiastic about future prospects in April.
Another very positive development in the latest survey results is the exceptionally strong improvement in sentiment among Manufacturer Representatives. Typically, this group has been notably pessimistic compared to Manufacturers and Distributors. However, in the March survey Manufacturer Representatives registered a jump in their overall index score of 23.6 points to reach 101.2.
Their April outlook jumps up by 19.6 index points resulting in strongly positive sentiment for March and April that is closely in line with the other groups. This broad-based optimism among all three groups lends support to the overall positive sentiment in the electronics components industry.
The survey results for end markets match the positive sentiment reported for the product segments with the March end market index improved to 108.9. It is projected to see increased positive momentum with an index score of 120 in April. Avionics/Military/Space, Medical, and Industrial Electronics continue to be the strong drivers of positive sentiment in the end-market index.
All three registered scores indicating positive sales sentiment in March. However, much more impressive is the forecast that every market except one will top the index threshold of 100 in April. Only Telecom Mobile Phones falls short at 93.8 in the April outlook. The overall picture presented by the sales sentiment survey results for March actuals and April forecasts for electronic components is extremely encouraging as the industry moves through 2024 and recovers from the lows of 2023.