48 The PCB Magazine • June 2014
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Employment gains Buoyed by
Professional & Business Services
in april, the unemployment rate fell from 6.7% to
6.3%, and the number of unemployed persons, at
9.8 million, decreased by 733,000. Both measures
had shown little movement over the prior four
months. over the year, the unemployment rate
and the number of unemployed persons declined
by 1.2% and 1.9 million, respectively.
Wearable Electronics to be a
$70B Business in 2024
wearable electronics is a fragmented industry
when it comes to manufacturers. even mature
sub-sectors have no clear leaders in what will be a
$70 billion-plus business in 2024, with 12,000 de-
velopers and manufacturers, as recently calculated
by analysts idtechex.
global Smartphone Shipments Reach
267M Units in 1Q14
"the Q1 momentum came mostly from the
emerging market sectors and china," noted avril
wu, assistant vice president of trendForce. "the
chinese smartphone manufacturers' increased
4g production is key to the smartphone industry
higher than anticipated Q1 growth."
What's Driving the global Diagnostic
Imaging Market?
some factors, such as increasing investments and
funds by government bodies worldwide, invest-
ments by public-private partnerships, increasing
number of diagnostic procedures and diagnostic
centers, rising number of cancer patients, and
technological advancements, are driving the glob-
al diagnostic imaging market.
China Plays Vital Role in U.S. Economy;
Exports Hit $120B
"exports to china play an essential role in the u.s.
economy and job growth," said uscBc President
john Frisbie. "with china's large population, rap-
idly growing middle class, and a long list of eco-
nomic development goals, american companies
of all sizes are sending a variety goods and prod-
ucts to an ever growing consumer and business
marketplace in china."
Wireless M2M Devices to See CAgR of 21.4%
according to a new research report from the ana-
lyst firm Berg insight, the number of devices with
cellular or satellite connectivity deployed in oil
and gas applications worldwide was 423,000 at
the end of 2013. growing at a compound annual
growth rate (cagr) of 21.4%, this number is ex-
pected to reach 1.12 million by 2018.
Eco-friendly Electronics Drives
PE Market growth
analysts forecast the global printed electronics mar-
ket to grow at a cagr of 20.6% over the period
2013–2018. one of the key factors contributing to
this market growth is the increased need for eco-
friendly electronics products. the market has also
witnessed the miniaturization of electronics devices.
Small Business owners optimistic
About growth in 2014
in a survey of small and mid-sized business, the
Pepperdine Private capital markets Project 2014
economic Forecast shows that business owners are
optimistic about growth opportunities, both na-
tionally and personally, for the remainder of 2014.
more than half of respondents (56%) are more
confident about business growth prospects com-
pared to a year ago.
PE Market to Reach $40.2 Billion by 2020
the printed electronics market is estimated to
grow at a cagr of 33.8% from 2014–2020 and
it is estimated to reach $40.2 billion by 2020,
according to a report published by marketsand
-
markets. rising energy costs, coupled with cli-
mate change, are driving the increase of renew-
able energy sources such as solar photovoltaic
technologies.
global Semiconductor Industry
Hits Record Sales in Q1
the semiconductor industry association (sia) an-
nounced that worldwide sales of semiconductors
reached $78.47 billion during the first quarter of
2014, marking the industry's highest-ever first
quarter sales. global sales reached $26.16 billion
for the month of march 2014, an increase of 11.4%
from march 2013 when sales were $23.48 billion.
PCB007 Market
News Highlights
48 The PCB Magazine • June 2014
