The November issue of the Electronic Component Sales Trends (ECST) survey from the Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) found that the results trounced expectations, delivering a score of 120.1, compared to predictions of 103.5.
A score of above 100 represents growth in the ECIA report.
The strongest performance came from the semiconductor segment growing by 12.4 points to 123.5 points. Electromechanical/connectors dropped by 12.5 points but still finished with a 122.8 index score in November, ECIA said. Passives also fell by 6 points to 114.1 points in November.
All three component categories were significantly higher than outlooks from the October ECIA survey.
December falling?
ECIA said that the bad news that was expected in November may now come in the December survey as the outlook is very close to the predictions in November from the October survey.
The overall sentiment index is expected to fall by 18.8 points in December with passives and electromechanical components dropping below the 100-point threshold. End markets index scores are also forecast to find both lower in the December survey.
Optimism for 2026
The results from the Q4 ECIA survey found significant optimism heading into 2026 with more than half of respondents expecting positive sales growth in Q4 and even a bright picture in the first quarter of 2026 with over 70% projecting positive sales growth during the period.
ECIA said these outlooks are consistent from the view of management, CEOs, analysts, distributors and OEMs.
Increasing lead times
While the last few months have shown stability in the market, ECIA said that much like in October, the November survey found increasing lead times in all categories with no reports of decreasing lead times.
This is particularly high in the DRAM and NAND flash categories, which is not surprising, ECIA said.
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 outlooks, 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.
