After the longest sustained downturn in the PC market that started with the introduction of the tablet, PC demand is up again, as predicted by the Econometric Semiconductor Forecast. "The worldwide PC supply chain appears to be healthy, with inventory levels appropriate in anticipation of the fourth quarter retail cycles," Intel reported recently, along with higher than expected third quarter results. Intel also indicated the demand for chips is in good shape. This is excellent news for suppliers of electronic chemicals and materials used in microprocessors, computer chip sets and DRAM, which are all used in PCs.

Staying ahead of the curve

As predicted by the The Econometric Semiconductor Forecast (ESF) in the spring of 2014, the global slump in personal computer demand has ended, with stronger expectations for PCs ahead. 

Overall PC demand has a significant impact on the overall demand for many types of chips, which in turn drive overall silicon demand. This is one of the key points of analysis in the ESF. 

The ESF has a very high correlation of about 2% for forecasts of a half year out or more, and is one of the most accurate predictors of electronics chemicals and materials demand with a very high correlation for the overall wafer fab materials market as shown the chart below from the ESF.