Market analysis firm Handelsbanken Capital Markets has cut its forecast for worldwide semiconductor market annual growth in 2005 from 7 percent to 4 percent, reports EE Times. The move comes after July’s three-month average of worldwide chip sales ended up below its forecasts. This three-month average of chip sales increased from USD 17.96 billion in June to USD 18.01 billion in July, while Handelsbanked had forecast sales of USD 18.11 billion. Handset chip sales declined 3.5 percent year-on-year in July, roughly as forecast, while NAND memory chip sales rose to a record, possibly due to a rise in the production of handsets with music capabilities.
