PC Processors to the Rescue!
    
		I've been scratching my head lately as I've compared the  government's statistics for third quarter GDP growth against  the corporate earnings of the IT titans. The U.S. GDP is supposed to be up 3.5  percent for Q3, while Microsoft, Tech Data and Ingram Micro all reported double-digit declines in revenues over roughly the same period.
But finally, some positive news out of the tech sector. IDC  says worldwide PC microprocessor shipments in Q3 "rose substantially and  to all-time record levels for a single quarter." The bounce in shipments  is 23 percent quarter over quarter. Revenues for the same period are up 14  percent.
The story is more subtle than a 1:1 relationship with the U.S. economy.  The chip growth doesn't actually line up with the U.S. economy, which IDC notes is  still hamstrung by housing foreclosures and rising job losses. Many of these  chips are being manufactured in China  for sale in netbooks there, and IDC warns that the Chinese market is opaque --  inventory can hide in lots of places. But let's keep our fingers crossed that  this could be the start of something good.
 
	Posted by Scott Bekker on November 10, 2009