March 7, 2013 – Semiconductor sales year-over-year growth has been declining or negative for the past seven quarters.

March 5, 2013 – This exclusive report details Avnet’s product pricing and lead-time trending data in 15 broad product categories.

February 12, 2013 – The medical market for cable assemblies grew 6% in 2011 to $4.2 billion worldwide, down from a year-over-year growth of 29% in 2010. How did it fare in 2012? Dave Pheteplace breaks down the facts and figures and shares Bishop’s outlook for 2013.

January 15, 2013 – The recession reduced investment, cancelled many projects, and impacted budgets in the structured cabling market. Meanwhile, changes in IT technology reshuffled the product mix end-users demand from manufacturers, forcing companies to reconsider their portfolios and adjust the way they approach the market.

January 15, 2013 – The consumer cable assembly market grew 2.1% in 2011 to $6 billion, after increasing 30% in 2010. Although sales were down slightly for the market in 2012, profits are down dramatically for the OEMs. It begs the question, where is the edge of the cliff for this industry?

December 4, 2012 – Bishop & Associates’ staff attended electronica 2012 and talked to industry personnel to discuss industry trends, news, and advancements to obtain insight into the outlook of industry insiders. Here’s the general consensus.

September 18, 2012 – Today, the connector market in Europe is already underperforming compared to other parts of the world, and it doesn’t look like it will improve in the near future. 

September 2012 – For the companies in the industrial market that Bishop tracks, 2011 was a year that showed 11.9% growth for the sector.

September 4, 2012 – John MacWilliams dispenses some wisdom on the always fluctuating forecast for the US consumer electronics market as it reaches a milestone number for the first time.

August 2012 – Dave Pheteplace, Bishop & Associates, looks at growth from 2010 through first quarter 2012 in the transportation market.

August 7, 2012 – A close look at prices, material costs, and other major factors, from the people who run the businesses

Competition is the primary cause for the decrease in both prices and margins. In a downturn, price competition heats up and the cannibalization of margins begins. Are distributors becoming their own worst enemies?