Texas Instruments to Acqure National Semiconductor

TI to acquire National Semiconductor Combination to strengthen analog portfolio and customer support Texas Instruments has signed a definitive agreement to purchase National Semiconductor in an all-cash transaction of about $6.5 billion. This merger will unite two industry leaders who have a common commitment to solving your analog needs. Both companies will operate independently pending close of the acquisition which is expected to take six to nine months. National's 12,000 products plus TI's 30,000 means more performance, power and packaging options when selecting the right ICs for your application. HK Snob

Japan Quake Aftermath

We Predicts Quake's Impact on Electronics Will Be Limited March 11 Japan earthquake and tsunami disasters will shave 1.5% from global GDP in 2011 and contribute to a slight softening in the semiconductor and electronics market. These short-term effects will be limited, however, and the market should quickly recover. The Japan disaster will help reduce worldwide GDP growth to approximately 3.4 % this year, compared with an earlier estimation of a 3.9% expansion. This will reduce the global economy by about $260 billion, assuming the Japanese economy declined by 5.2% in 2011. Taking the pessimistic situation of a 3.4% worldwide GDP growth rate in 2011 (as compared to our current forecast of 3.6% growth), and the associated $260 billion negative impact on worldwide GDP, and multiplying it by 2.2% yields an electronic systems sales loss of $5.7 billion. Subtracting $5.7 billion from current 2011 electronic system sales forecast of $1,348 billion would put electronic system sales at about $1,342 billion for this year, an 8.5% increase over 2010 compared to our current forecast of 9%. The forecasts may represent the best short-term outlook for the industry and the worldwide economy, assuming oil prices stay relatively stable at around $100 per barrel. We believe even a worst case scenario where the economy is more heavily affected would still not dramatically Ref. IC Insights HK Snob