The initial Electronic Component Sales Trends (ECST) survey in 2025 from the Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) started solidly above the 100-point threshold in January, signaling a strong beginning to the year.
A score of over 100 represents market growth.
The actual score was 108.5 points with semiconductors very close to the forecast from December and electromechanical components slightly lower than the forecast that came last month. While distributors found optimism in the passive and electromechanical components, manufacturers and manufacturer representatives found optimism in the semiconductor sector.
Overall, survey respondents believe that there is solid momentum across all categories and subcategories will carry into the February survey. That said, discrete and analog ICs will likely have the lowest score as they did in January.
Two consecutive months with solid improvement in sales sentiment in 2025 would be a great way to start the year, ECIA said.
Irrational exuberance
While the January ECST survey was positive in sale sentiment for electronic components, the outlook from the December survey found it exhibited “irrational exuberance.” The end market sale sentiment was projected to reach 125 in January, but it came in 20 points below this number.
The February outlook for the overall end market index is now aligned with the overall product index at 121. Yet only four markets achieved scores above 100 in January led by avionics/military/space as it dominates at 131.4.
The outlook for February is expected to be brighter for all markets except consumer electronics, which will come in at 97.8 as per the forecast. This is, perhaps, surprising given the positive indicators for long-term health at CES in January. ECIA said with AI dominating CES, huge investments for this technology may stimulate another wave of growth for consumer electronics and every sector in 2025.
About the ECIA ECST report
The ECST survey provides highly valuable and detailed visibility on industry expectations in the near-term through the monthly and quarterly surveys. This “immediate” perspective is helpful to participants up and down the electronics components supply chain. In the long-term, ECIA shares in the optimism for the future as the continued introduction and market adoption of exciting innovative technologies should motivate both corporate and consumer demand for next-generation products over the long term.
The complete ECIA ECST report is delivered to all ECIA members as well as others who participate in the survey. All participants in the electronics components supply chain are invited and encouraged to participate in the report so they can see the highly valuable insights provided by the ECST report.
The monthly and quarterly ECST reports present data in detailed tables and figures with multiple perspectives and covering current sales expectations, sales outlook, product cancellations, product decommits and product lead times. The data is presented at a detailed level for six major electronic component categories, six semiconductor subcategories and eight end markets. Also, survey results are segmented by aggregated responses from manufacturers, distributors and manufacturer representatives.
Interested in reading the entire ECST report? Click here for more information.
